What Once Was Perfect (Wardham #1) by Zoe York

 

Summary:

 

Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She’s found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check.

Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her medical career is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life that he once chose over her.

What Once Was Perfect is a short and sexy contemporary romance novel set in Wardham, Ontario, a fictitious small farming community on the shores of Lake Erie.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 170 pages (Paperback)

Source: NetGalley.com 

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: July 1st 2013 by Zoe York

 

A few days back I was surfing NetGalley, yes that's what I do in my spare time but shush, you know you find yourself perusing their stock of books up for review just like I do. Anyways, I was on the website (going a little request happy) and I stumbled across this one and I just knew that I would love it. I mean come on it's written by a Canadian author and it's set in an albeit fictional Ontario town but ONTARIO WAS IN IT! This is big, I don't know about you but I just love when my province is mentioned in a book so the author got a big thumbs up for that.

Anyways, yesterday afternoon I decided I needed something to read. I'd just finished a 334 page book and was in the mood for something light, fun and a little bit sexy so I turned to my trusty kindle and saw this one sitting there and decided to give it a go and proceeded to read it on and off the rest of the day and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I'm a sucker for second chance love stories so Kyle and Laney's story was perfect, plus it was set in a small town and around the holidays, two other themes I love to see in my contemporary romances. Right away I liked Laney, yeah she had more hang-ups about relationships than more men that I know but I liked her fire. She's a workaholic but totally devoted to her patiants and to her family even though she lives in Chicago and they live in her hometown of Wardham. I thought she was sweet and funny and definetly not a woman who will let a man walk all over her which I thought was really refreshing.

The story basically centers around Laney's Christmas homecoming and it seems like the fates are frowning upon her when she encounters her ex-fiancée who broke her heart 12 years ago, the one who turned her off love, and the one who made her fear commitment.

Then there was Kyle, our handsome heroine, the heart breaker and the primary school teacher who I didn't really expect to like as much as I did. I really didn't I figured that I would totally be against him and Laney being together because of how he hurt her but he was just perfect. He was the most refreshing character to me. He wasn't a pushover but her definitely wasn't as controlling as some men in romance novels were. He was actually really sweet and understanding, and funny.

The two of them together was just grand and I loved reading about their love story. The fact that it was set around the holidays just made it all that much more perfect for me because I love Christmas and I think it's the perfect season to find love and rediscover old loves as well. I liked how the characters already had a past history and that while much of the novel takes place around the holidays there was no insta-love and it was great to see their love for each other grow as the story went on and their chemistry was so hot I swear my kindle was burning up.

Overall, I absolutely loved reading Zoe York's first novel and can't wait to read the second book in this series as soon as it comes out. The writing was great, there was no problem with the pace of the novel and I think the relationship was very realistic as were her characters. Kyle and Laney are absolutely going down as one of my favourite book couples and I really hope to see them make a brief appearance in the next book in the series.

I would recommend What Once Was Perfect was a great love story, sweet and fun but steamy where it counted. This one made me smile throughout the book and giggle more often then not with Laney and Kyle. If you like contemporary romance and want something that isn't too long and set in a small town during the holidays I highly suggest giving this one a read immediately!

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

 Loved It!
★★★★★

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