Series:
The Floating Shop (Book 1)
One fresh start. One unexpected encounter. Can love
bridge the gap?
When Rosie leaves behind her ordinary life in England to
open a flower shop on Amsterdam's water, she expects nothing less than a
fairytale.
Max, her handsome but brooding new neighbour, prefers to
keep the world at arm's length - and living on the houseboat next door, he's
not too thrilled about the new company.
As Rosie's business blossoms, so do her feelings for Max.
But Rosie isn't sure she's ready for a relationship, and Max is still nursing a
broken heart.
Then a rival in the flower market threatens her dreams,
Rosie discovers that the most beautiful things can bloom when you learn to go
with the flow - and allow someone to stand by your side.
Will Rosie and Max allow themselves to be swept away by
love, or is their relationship doomed to sink before it can swim?
Sweet story of love, friendship, community, and new
beginnings. Rosie inherited her late mother's love of plants and flowers. After
several failed relationships and multiple boring, dead-end jobs, Rosie leaves
it all behind in London to open a flower shop in Amsterdam.
Rosie is determinedly cheerful, impulsive, and a little
bit naïve. She moves to Amsterdam with little more than some savings and a
dream. She rents a houseboat to live in - one that's condition is not quite
what was advertised. Her next-door neighbor is a gorgeous but grumpy artist
with a perpetual scowl. And setting up a business in a foreign country where you
don't speak the language is more complicated than she expected.
Very little gets Rosie down. She overcomes her shock at
the condition of her houseboat, the Forget-Me-Knot (love the name!), and
immediately sets out to make it habitable. Her initial exploration of the
flower market nets her a friend who helps her navigate the process of setting
up her business. It's not all hearts and rainbows, as Rosie faces several
setbacks, from flooding in her houseboat to delivery mix-ups and a rival florist
who causes trouble. Her positive attitude goes a long way toward overcoming
these obstacles, thanks to the help of new friends. I especially enjoyed the
parts with her rival, Finn. A devastating development with her houseboat nearly
breaks her, but the blessings of friendship bring a heartwarming solution.
A relationship was the last thing Rosie was looking for,
but it found her anyway. She's drawn to her neighbor Max, but his grumpiness
initially discourages her. Early on, it seems that everything about her
irritates him, but under the grumpy exterior is a man with a good heart. I
liked seeing him step in to help on her houseboat and then introduce her to the
city he loves. However, Max has his own emotional baggage that periodically
gets in the way of his relationship with Rosie. Fortunately, these episodes
don't last too long, and they continue to grow closer. I liked how it ended.
One of the book's best aspects was the author's vivid
descriptions of the city, its culture, and its people. I visited Amsterdam
several years ago, and this book brought back many pleasant memories.
The secondary characters were terrific. I loved how each
brought out a different facet of Rosie's personality. I also liked Rosie's
family dynamics. We get a glimpse of how her mother's death affected them all.
I liked how Rosie encouraged her sister, Melody, to be a little bolder, and
loved Rosie's weekly "dinners" with her dad. Each of Rosie's new
friends highlighted another aspect of her personality. The epilogue was a
terrific look at the results of her hard work and relationship-building.
No comments:
Post a Comment