Geralyn Dawson

Balancing Act by Emily March
Lake in the Clouds series #2. Contemporary chick lit, romance. Family oriented. Can be read as a stand-alone. Best read in order since this book continues the timeline after the first.
Multiple POV Genevieve, Noah and Willow, all 3rd person. A wedding in the early part of this book is the couple from the first book.
Genevieve Prentice is settled in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado forging new relationships with her adult children. Willow Eldridge has moved to Lake in the Clouds to rebuild a relationship with her mother. Her focus is also on her troubled young son who has some emotional trauma to work through. Drew befriends a quiet, reclusive man that builds doll house models for training fire fighters. Noah has his own demons and PTSD to deal with, but puppies and a talkative young boy helps to ease his heart just a bit.

Genevieve is struggling to keep something of her own. Not her kids or sister.
Willow is rebuilding her life now in Lake in the Clouds but there is pressure to move back to TN from her in laws. There are more complications that her late husband has left behind.
Noah feels guilty that he survived the fire when his brother did not.
Healing. Living. Connections and family. Healing hearts. Life and complications thrown in. Survive. Adjust and conquer. And love.

Lots going on here. It comes down to family and love. Relationships. Healing.
It feels epic. I know these people. It’s heartwarming and deep. And I hope to revisit Lake in the Clouds again soon.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to keep.… (més)

Terrific story about family, finding yourself, and overcoming tragedy. This is the second book in the series. I haven't read the first one, but enough backstory was explained to keep me from feeling lost. There are three main characters: Genevieve Prentice, her daughter Willow Eldridge, and their neighbor, Noah Tannehill. Genevieve and her sister, Helen, own a lodge in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado. Willow, widowed two years earlier, moves there with her two children, looking for a fresh start and to reconnect with her mother. She meets the reclusive Noah, a firefighter recovering from injuries received during a tragic incident.

Genevieve has enjoyed her new life in Colorado. After many years as a mom, she has enjoyed traveling, exploring nature, and getting involved in her new community. With her latest project ending and facing a milestone birthday, she feels a bit lost about where her life is heading. When Willow moves to town, Genevieve suddenly finds herself slipping back into family mode, being a mom and Nana on call. She feels she is losing all her progress after her move. I could feel her frustration and fear as she wondered about her future. She received helpful advice from two men, and I enjoyed watching her take that advice. I liked seeing her reconnect with Willow, though there were a few bumps in their road along the way. Her support of Willow is crucial during an unexpected crisis. Her last scene in the book is hilarious and satisfying.

Willow left Nashville hoping to make a better life for her children and reconnect with her mother. During Willow's marriage, they became estranged, and she feels it was mostly her fault. She's ready to come clean about her marriage, her husband, and their life, but talking about it is more challenging than she expects. In the meantime, she steps in as the planner for her brother's upcoming wedding and discovers a possible career path. She also has eight-year-old Drew and four-year-old Emma to take care of. Drew is a pistol with some issues stemming from his father's death, and he keeps Willow on her toes. Drew brings Willow together with Noah in a scene that could have been any parent's nightmare but was the start of a meaningful friendship. I liked seeing the changes and healing that Willow experienced during the book.

Noah moved into his grandfather's house in Lake in the Clouds after experiencing a tragic fire call that left him badly injured. He spends most of his time in his workshop, avoiding people whenever possible. Thanks to Drew, Noah, and Willow are frequently thrown together and soon form a friendship. Noah is surprised to find himself emerging from his shell. I ached for Noah and the trauma he suffered and rooted for him to overcome the demons that haunted him.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Noah and Willow develop. It started rocky, thanks to Drew's antics, but they soon discovered that their traumatic pasts made it easier to relate to each other. The more time they spent together, the closer they grew, and the more they could share the details of their pasts. I liked how they were able to help each other look at events from a different perspective, enabling them to heal and move forward. There are also some beautiful scenes involving them and the children and the effect on their developing relationship. They each experience an unexpected curveball that must be dealt with before they can look to a future together, but they make it happen with love and support from each other and their friends and families.

Secondary characters such as Gabe Throckmorton and Genevieve's sister Helen add extra interest to the book. I liked Gabe, who is still grieving the loss of his wife but has a growing and changing friendship with Genevieve. I look forward to later books and seeing if that relationship progresses. I loved Helen. She is fun-loving and outspoken, and she loves her family. She and Genevieve have had a great time together over the past two years, and she is understandably hurt when Genevieve appears to no longer have time for her. They must deal with a few growing pains, but in the end, their relationship is stronger than ever. I laughed out loud at Helen's method of getting stop signs for the town.

#netgalley… (més)