Review: Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas

Title: Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the beloved and bestselling author of the Ransom Canyon and Harmony, Texas series comes a powerful, heartwarming story about generations of family and the ironclad bonds they forge

When Jillian James lands in the small town Texas community of Laurel Springs, she’s definitely not planning to stay—except to find a few clues about the father who abandoned her and destroyed her faith in family.

Connor Larady is a single dad, and the only one caring for his grandmother, Eugenia, who has Alzheimer’s. And now he has to close Eugenia’s quilt shop. When Connor meets down-on-her-luck Jillian, he’s out of options. Can he trust the newcomer to do right by his grandmother’s legacy?

Jillian is done with relationships. But as she grows closer to Connor and Eugenia, she must consider giving up her nomadic life for a future with those who need her.

An inspiring family saga that asks us to consider what love and chosen family really mean. 

Review:

Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas is a heartwarming homespun romance that will delight readers of small town contemporary love stories.

Jillian James is trying to reconnect with her nomadic father who abandoned her years earlier. Going off a decades old notation in his travels, her search takes her to the close-knit community of Laurel Springs, TX. Hoping someone in town will have information about her dad, she begins working at local the quilt shop, A Stitch in Time. Hired by local businessman, mayor and deeply rooted Connor Laraday, Jillian surprised by how much she enjoys spending time with Connor, his unhappy sixteen year old daughter Sunnie and his delightful grandmother Eugenia aka Gram. As she becomes more enmeshed in the lives of the Laraday’s and the rest of the townspeople, will Jillian leave in a few months as planned? Or, for the first time in her life, will she finally take a chance on love and set down roots?

Despite his abandonment, Jillian has spent the last several years retracing her father’s steps in an effort to find out more information on him and the mother she never met. Although she has not seen him since he unexpectedly vanished several years earlier, she takes her father’s advice to heart as she settle into her new job at the quilt shop.  While Jillian is charmed by Gram, Connor, Sunnie and the rest of people she meets, she does not deviate from her plan to leave in just a few months.  Will her budding romance with Connor convince her to change her mind?

Connor is steadfast, dependable and always does what is expected of him.  He gladly returned home to take up the reins of his family’s newspaper business after his parents’ deaths.  A widower, he is a devoted father who has no intention of become involved in a serious relationship.  So, needless to say, Connor is quite surprised when he discovers how much he enjoys spending time with Jillian. Will he ignore his unexpected feelings for her? Or will Connor decide that to risk his heart and ask Jillian to stay?

With a cast of incredibly delightful characters, a picturesque setting and a slow burning yet heartfelt romance, Mornings on Main is a captivating love story. Jillian’s character undergoes the biggest transformation as she tries to decide whether or not to give up her rootless existence. Connor makes a few discoveries about himself as he grows closer to Jillian but will he act on this newfound knowledge? Gram’s story arc is very poignant and Jodi Thomas deftly and accurately portrays the heartrending impact of Alzheimer’s on the person affected and their loved ones. I highly recommend this touching novel of love and friendship to readers of small town contemporary romances.