Finding Redemption in the Woods: A Review of 'Season of Salt and Honey' by Hannah Tunnicliffe

Season of Salt and Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Year read: 2015

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Frankie has just lost her husband - or rather, the man who was supposed to have already been her husband if it hadn’t been for him waiting so VERY long to propose. Frankie & Alex started dating in high school, and over a decade later, they were just in the throws of planning a wedding when Alex died in a surfing accident. Frankie runs away from the funeral to Alex’s family’s old cabin in the woods. She hopes to escape the pain of her losses -her mother and now her fiance - but instead finds a colorful cast of characters who help her find a path through her pain. Along the way, she reconnects with her sister and forms a deeper bond with her would-be brother-in-law.

The best characters in the book are the secondary characters. Frankie herself is not terribly likable. She hung on to Alex for years past when most people would have demanded a significant other to “fish or cut bait”. While at the cabin, Frankie learns that Alex kept secrets from her that shake her even more. But, honestly, with many of the descriptions of Alex, it didn’t surprise me at all and made me wonder, yet again, why on Earth Frankie stayed with him. She really lacks self-confidence in the area of Alex and her job and many other aspects, but conversely, she acts “better than thou” to her sister. Her sister was a bit of a troublemaker, but Frankie was portrayed as pretty uncaring and unsupportive of her. Frankie has spent all her life trying to be “the good one” and blames her sister for this, but ultimately, I think this is on Frankie’s shoulders. Alex, even dead, also turns out to not be a terribly likable character.

The author makes up for much of this by creating a cast of secondary characters who are all deeply caring and likable. Her sister Bella is a much stronger and caring person than Frankie gives her credit for in her own mind and memory. Alex’s brother, Daniel, turns out to be more caring and kind than Alex ever was. And the cabin neighbors, Jack, Huia, and Merriem, help Frankie in a myriad of ways. The secondary characters really redeemed the book for me. Frankie wasn’t a sympathetic person to me, and I have a difficult time continuing a book when I don’t like the main characters. She is redeemed in the end, though, thanks to the lovely friends she makes in the woods. And that redemptive nature of the book, the fact that Frankie does learn and grow, won back the book for me. I did enjoy the book and, as a big fan of camping, I had no arguments with the serene setting that the author did a magnificent job of painting in the mind’s eye.

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Finding Love Among Flowers: A 3-Star Review of 'Cards from Khloe's Flower Shop'

Cards From Khloe's Flower Shop by Isabella Louise Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Year read: 2017

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Khloe owns a flower shop - her dream come true. Every day, she helps customers find their happily ever after by providing stunning floral arrangements and, most importantly, heartfelt cards of sentiment. However, after having her heart broken, she's sure she will never find her own happily ever after. Well, she very nearly jinxes it with her bizarre behavior toward the handsome love interest who enters her door one day. I wanted to shake her on more than one occasion. Her character was real, but I'm not sure that Derek's acceptance of her oddball behavior was realistic. 99% of men would have run to the hills with the first hint of her serious trust issues.

Gabby and Connie were both more interesting than Khloe. I loved Gabby and rooted for her to find happiness again after losing the love of her life. The new relationship was pretty sugary sweet, but that was totally okay! Because you really could see a situation like hers. And poor Connie. While I think the reason why the "mean girl" was so awful was a bit forced, I have definitely seen horrible people target someone with low self-esteem like Connie and just torture them. And her choices in dealing with several situations were very realistic.

The sexy scenes didn't all seem to fit in the same book. Some were pretty chaste and only hinted at intimacy; others were steamier. Nothing too explicit, though (no throbbing love muscles), and the words used were scientific or common usage terms. I am NOT a fan of sexy scenes, but nothing here was objectionable. The best friend talked a little too much about sex, and it did start to get annoying... do people really talk that much about sex with their best friends?

All in all, this is a feel-good tale about three women finding love. The men were all charming and pretty standard chick-lit "awesome." Having more flower shop cards in the book would have been fun. It's a sweet, light read. It's suitable for a day at the pool or curled under a blanket with hot tea.




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