Book Description:
He knows he’s stuck in this small town. She hopes it’s a stopover on her way to New York.
If Treyan Ackerman wants to keep seeing his daughter on weekends, he needs to stay put, keep his nose clean, and not make waves. Thankfully, he has a decent, if somewhat tedious, job in his small town’s municipal office. If the mayor would let him tackle some of the graphics for the farmers market, it would help. But, no. Instead, she hires a vivacious city girl who turns Trey’s head. Unfortunately.
Brittany Santoro needs to redeem her reputation, rebuild her portfolio, and relocate, preferably to New York, where they’ll appreciate her graphics design genius. But if she doesn’t want the whole world to know about her indiscretions, she needs to spend six months in podunk Galena Landing, furnishing artwork and ads for the town’s farmers market and other tourism marketing. Too bad the brooding, hunky man in her office seems immune to her charms.
But when Brittany connects with Trey’s hurting daughter and sees the tender side of him, all bets are off. How can these two wounded souls be nudged into the realization that everything they want and need is right here in this wide and pleasant place?
A WIDE AND PLEASANT PLACE is the first story in the Farm Fresh Market Romance series, an off-shoot of the original Farm Fresh Romances and set in Galena Landing, Idaho. If you love Christian contemporary romance series that focus on engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith — clean, wholesome, sweet, and inspirational romances — you’ve come to the right place!
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A Wide and Pleasant Place, set in a fictional town in Idaho near the Canadian border. I love Valerie’s Farm Fresh Romance series, and it was fun to return to Galena Landing and reunite with the characters. Brittany is from the Santoro family in Spokane, and she’s a side character in the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series.
Trey is a town planner and single dad who only sees his adorable five year old daughter, Scarlett, on weekends. His ex-wife, Kayla, left him a few years earlier. Kayla is living in town with her new partner and she’s pregnant with their baby. Trey has struggled to deal with his divorce and the child custody situation. He lives on a farm with his widowed brother, Mitch, and Mitch’s young sons.
Brittany is a graphic designer who’s working in Galena Landing on a short term marketing project to reinvigorate the town’s farmers market. Brittany is not in Galena Landing by choice. She’s temporarily staying with her cousin’s young family. Brittany is determined to chase her NYC dreams.
Brittany and Trey are forced to share an office, and they initially dislike each other. A sweet romance unfolds as Brittany gets to know Trey away from work and bonds with Scarlett. Trey and Brittany have many challenges to overcome, including emotional baggage from past relationships.
Brittany was raised in Christian family. She attends church because it’s a family expectation. Brittany’s actions, and her lack of conscience regarding her poor moral choices in past relationships, reveal the true state of her heart and faith. Her character is real-to-life, which can be uncomfortable at times. I liked how Trey extended grace to Brittany rather than judgement, knowing that he isn’t perfect and has made his share of mistakes.
I recommend A Wide and Pleasant Place to contemporary romance readers who like small town friends-to-more romances with a strong faith element and characters who appreciate farm fresh food and sustainable living.
