Review: Willow Brook Road by Sherryl Woods
In Willow Brook Road, Sherry Woods returns to beautiful Chesapeake Shores with its small town community, its big, loving, ever-growing O’Brien clan, and its life lessons about finding hope, following your dreams, and falling in love.
Willow Brook Road
Book Thirteen
384 Pages
Release Date: 09/29/15
Publisher: Harlequin | Imprint: Mira Books
Genre: Romance | Contemporary Romance
Series: Chesapeake Shores
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods sweeps readers away with the story of a beloved member of the O’Brien family as she claims the life she’s always dreamed of…
Spirited, spontaneous Carrie Winters has grown up under the watchful eyes of not only her grandfather Mick O’Brien, but the entire town of Chesapeake Shores.
Now that she’s home from Europe, a glamorous fashion career behind her and her heart broken, there seem to be far too many people watching to see if she’ll live up to the expectations her family has for her.
As if that weren’t enough pressure, Carrie finds herself drawn to sexy, grief-stricken Sam Winslow, who is yearning for someone to help him raise the nephew who’s unexpectedly come into his life after a tragedy.
With her own life in turmoil, is Carrie really ready to take on a new career and a new man? Or is Sam exactly what she needs to create the strong, loving family she’s always wanted?
Chesapeake Shores Series on Goodreads
*E-ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review*
*Print Copy Purchased*
Carrie Winters is a disillusioned woman at loose ends over what to do with herself now that what she thought she wanted turned out to be oh so wrong for her. She’s a woman in dire need of a purpose and I quickly found myself relating to that because let’s face it, who hasn’t at one point in their lives questioned the direction they were going or had their life twisted and pulled into a direction they weren’t expecting it to go? In real life, that’s enough of a shock to knock anyone for a loop and it’s exactly what drew me to Carrie in Willow Brook Road. It’s what allowed me to empathize with her and understand her.
Sam Winslow is an intelligent man struggling beneath the weight of guilt and grief while trying to do right by his late sister’s son. He never expected to become a parent to a six year old just like that, but that’s what happened and it’s left him reeling while also giving him a purpose and new direction for his life. A direction that Carrie is more than capable of helping him travel.
I totally loved this book. But that’s not a big surprise to me because I am a huge Sherryl Woods fan. I have entire shelves of her books, particularly those in the Chesapeake Shores series. I love the way she writes her characters and how she builds a small town community for them to move around and engage in, and of course, fall in love in. I adore small town romance with a big family feel and this book is full of the small town way of life. Everyone knows everyone and is always willing to help out someone in need. I love that overall sense of belonging in these books, and that was particularly strong in Willow Brook Road.
I loved the development of Carrie and Sam’s romance, as well as their individual growth as people. They each struggled with a change coming into their lives, but they made it work by finding the strength within themselves to move on. They also found a friend in each other, once they got past their differences and stopped making judgments about one another. I think I loved that most of all. This is very much a story about hope and change and getting back up after being knocked down by life and circumstance, and it was everything I’ve come to love and expect in a Sherryl Woods romance.
If you’re a fan of small town romance where two people struggle to find themselves after a twist they didn’t see coming hits their lives, Willow Brook Road is a beautiful, heartwarming tale about hope, love, and finding the strength to pick yourself up and carrying on despite not having all the answers to do that when you start out. It’s a comfort book you will come back to again and again, for its fantastic characterization and sense of community, as well as its life-affirming message to take a chance on love–and on yourself–even when it scares you to your bones.
Highly, highly recommend this read!
About Sherryl Woods
With her roots firmly planted in the South, Sherryl Woods has written many of her more than 100 books in that distinctive setting, whether in her home state of Virginia, her adopted state, Florida, or her much-adored South Carolina. Sherryl is best known for her ability to creating endearing small town communities and families. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition.