Love on a Whim - (Cape Cod Creamery) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

This novel started out with a bang! Brynn called her best friend Dawn with a terrible dilemma. She was desperate and needed advice. Dawn told her to come to Cape Cod and they would sort it all out. Brynn came during the summer rush and a terrible crisis of a wedding upcoming with no caterers. Everyone tries to step in to help. Brynn rolls up her sleeves and dives right in hoping she would be distracted from her own problems. This was another charming story in the Cape Cod Creamery series. I got to visit with old friends and met some new ones. I got tired as I read what was going on and all the crisis situations. But the ending I loved with a total surprise close to the end. This was a personal purchase.

I could not wait to read the third book in the Cape Cod Creamery series! Brynn is a super professional, totally put together organized woman. When she arrives at Cape Cod a total mess inside and out, her best friend Dawn is shocked. In all their years growing up and even as an adult she has never seen Brynn in this state! Her job as an engineer takes her to a convention in Las Vegas where she meets a very handsome man. She has never felt like this about anyone in her life. Being totally swept off her feet, she marries him within 24 hours of meeting! Waking up the morning of her honeymoon she is terrified at her decision and leaves. Ms. Fisher has such a talent for showing how interwoven the lives of each character with one another, but also their personal challenges. While the plot was so entertaining, there were so many life lessons here. At one time or another in life we can relate to Brynn’s impulsive decision; regretting and wondering how we will ever fix this mistake. Her relationship with Dawn revealed her lack of confidence in herself, no matter how successful she was in business. Dawns’ strong personality and decisiveness caused her to doubt the choices she knew were right. Dawn meant well, but her controlling personality hindered her friend and even herself making the right decision. It was driven by fear and a lack of trust in God. I love Marnie’s down to earth faith and being able to see past all the drama. Whenever she did not know how to proceed or feared what she was facing, she immediately went to prayer. She followed God’s guidance even when her feelings did not match. Lincoln had overcome so many obstacles and changed his life to follow Christ. Yet with all of us there is always some unfinished consequences of our former choices that confronts us to deal with. I admired his desire to do whatever it took to heal his relationship with his son. He took responsibility for his past failures and tolerated Bear’s bitterness. All the trials these characters faced it culminated into one point: they each grew in faith to trust God. When they stepped out in that faith no matter how frightening it was God met them and healed them. Add to all this some big surprises and a bit of mystery and you have a fantastic book! I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have stated are my own.

A beautiful setting, a diverse group of characters, and a well-developed plot make this a great choice for summer reading enjoyment. Love on a Whim is another chance to connect with some of the characters from the first two books of the Cape Cod Creamery series, but the main focus of this story is Brynn Haywood's change of heart after marrying a man that she's only known for twenty-four hours. Will her flight to the small town of Chatham allow her a chance to rethink her future? Author Suzanne Woods Fisher shared more than one romance in this story, including a second chance at love, and I enjoyed the quotes about ice cream that introduced each chapter, but I loved the inspiring thoughts that are woven into the story. We're reminded to accept the second chances that we're given, to recognize that coincidences are really "God instances", and to remember that apologies don't have expiration dates! I recommend Love on a Whim to all who enjoy contemporary Christian romance. I received a copy of this book from the Revell Reads Blogger Program. There was no obligation for a positive review.

Love on a Whim by Suzanne Woods Fisher is an appealing story. I thought Love on a Whim was well-written with developed, realistic characters. I enjoyed catching up with Marnie, Dawn, Callie, Lincoln, and, especially, Leo (the Cowboy). I could relate to Brynn who is a success at her job but feels unfulfilled. She made an impulsive decision while at a conference and panicked (I am sure we have all made decisions that we regret the next morning). A change of locale plus being with good friends may be just what Brynn needs. We meet Lincoln’s son, Bear, who has a bad attitude towards his father, Lincoln, as well as the Dixon’s. Lincoln’s daughter is getting married and over-the-top is a mild term for the nuptials. Forgiveness is the main theme in Love on a Whim. Bruno said two of my favorite quotable lines, “Forgiveness is an essential ingredient for any meaningful relationship” and “Nothing is impossible with God.” I was a tad disappointed with the ending (I do not want to give anything away). I wanted a certain event to be described, so I could experience it instead of being told about it. While Love on a Whim can be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading the Cape Cod Creamery series in order which will allow you to get the full experience. I like that Marnie’s best friend, Maeve Grayson, from the Three Sisters Island series, is included in the story. I enjoyed the quotes relating to ice cream before each chapter. My two favorites are, “Ice cream is cheaper than therapy” and “I’m skipping dinner and going straight for the pints.” I will miss my visits to Cape Cod as well as the scrumptious ice cream descriptions (do you think I can get Dawn to send me a couple pints of Double-Fold Vanilla).

“Some bone-deep feeling that told you this was the right man for you. For one brief moment in your life, your gut instinct overruled your logic. And now you’re trying to smother it,” Brynn is told in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s novel, Love on a Whim. ~ What ~ The third in the Cape Cod Creamery series, this three-hundred-page paperback targets those interested in a romance about a young woman trying to make life-altering changes regarding love and passion based on instincts, not practicality. With no profanity, topics of abandonment, illness, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. While the beginning has a cast of characters and a glossary of ice cream making, the ending includes eleven discussion questions, an author’s note, an excerpt from the writer’s novella collections, acknowledgments, the author’s biography, and advertisements. In this current-day story based in a fictional coastal town in Massachusetts, thirty-year-old Brynn has fled from her 24-hour marriage and into the arms of her loving and sometimes overbearing friends. Always taking the logical avenue in life, she goes out of her comfort zone by helping with a dear one’s family wedding while trying to find out what she wants in life. Only by sweet forgiveness is the lesson learned about the choices she and others make. ~ Why ~ This is the third sequel that involves the close-knit characters of the prior books who are likable and reliable, always looking out for each other. The dynamics between Brynn and her friends and her new husband show their love for each other as they deal with their faults and failures. I like how Brynn’s friends, those who controlled, over-achieved, or were understanding, were believable and well-written. Although it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. ~ Why Not ~ Finding and marrying a person in a twenty-four-hour period seemed a bit unrealistic, especially since no consummation of the marriage was mentioned. As a Christian, I found the book missed the opportunity to give the exact plan of salvation (Jesus dying on the cross and forgiving our sin which is the ultimate act of forgiveness), but only that communion changed one’s heart. One of the characters controlling everyone and everything may be obnoxious to some readers. The romantic conclusion was easy to spot early in the story. ~ Wish ~ While most characters mentioned God or prayed to Him, there was little reliance on Him that could have been expounded instead of listening to one’s gut feelings. I wish all pronouns of God were capitalized for reverence. Adding a map of the town would be helpful. ~ Want ~ If you like a continuing small-town romantic read, this one on how forgiveness is an essential ingredient for any meaningful relationship is sweet. I received a complimentary copy from Revell. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.

This book had me captivated by the story and the characters. Brynn Haywood’s unconventional marriage to a man she just met in Vegas and her escape to the cape to ponder what she had done absolutely mesmerized me. I wanted to know who this mystery man was and how it came about that level-headed engineer Brynn would even consider such a thing. Once she gets to the cape with her friend Dawn and Dawn’s mom Marnie Dixon, Brynn can reflect on what she did and Dawn assures her that she will help her dissolve the marriage. But Brynn gets too busy helping Linc Hayes prepare for the wedding for his daughter to think too much about her hasty choice. In fact, Brynn loves baking so much that she begins to consider leaving behind her degree in engineering. There are twists and turns in this complicated tale of choices, consequences, honesty and forgiveness. I really loved all of the characters, but I was especially drawn to Bear Hayes, Linc’s son who is in town for the wedding. Bear doesn’t approve of anyone in town except his mom and his sister and seems determined to make his dad’s life hard. I didn’t love him for his actions which were at times reprehensible. I loved him for his heart that seemed to be wounded and unready to accept anything new. In contrast, Brynn is embracing new things in her life, perhaps a bit too quickly. The story is compelling, filled with wit and wisdom. With each chapter starting with a saying about ice cream that gave me a clue about what would happen in the chapter and also a thought to ponder, this book is memorable and one to share and discuss with others. The subplots about Dawn and Marnie dovetail perfectly with the story about Brynn and all are concluded in a very satisfactory way, with a few surprises, too. This is contemporary Christian fiction at its best and deserves to be savored just like ice cream! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Partr 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

"Eat ice cream. Read books. Be happy."—author Carew Papritz Be sure to visit the charming, seaside town of Chatham, Cape Cod—with its salty ocean breeze, tourist shops, and The Creamery, which serves up the best ice cream anywhere! However, I must issue this warning once again as I did in Book 1. Reading of this novel may cause uncontrollable, spontaneous ice cream (and cake!) cravings. I must admit I had great willpower . . . until I didn't. I mean who can resist chocolate peanut butter ice cream? (ugh) I honestly thought this book would be silly because who marries a complete stranger they've known for less than 24 hours?—at least not when they're sober. The sensible civil engineer, Brynn Haywood, that's who. Horrified at her impulsiveness, Brynn flees to Cape Cod to think things through and help her friends prepare food for a lavish coastal wedding. Old friends, Marnie, Dawn, Callie, and Linc reappear from the previous two books in the series, but no worries. 'Love on a Whim' can be read well as a stand-alone novel since the author does an excellent job of recapping. There is also a list of characters at the beginning of the story. Surprisingly, this book wasn't silly at all . . . but a beautiful story of friendship and forgiveness I highly recommend! *I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review.*