2.21.2010

My Review: Love Finds You in Hershey Pennsylvania by Cerella D. Sechrist


by Cerella D. Sechrist

Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Romance

Publisher:  Summerside Press
Copyright 2010
Pages:  347
ISBN:  9781935416647

Back cover:

Chef Sadie Spencer has learned that in life, as well as in food, sour balances sweet. After returning to her deliciously charming hometown of Hershey with a young daughter in tow, Sadie has managed to rise from the ashes following the death of her husband, the passing of her mother, and the dissolution of her career as a TV chef. With the help and encouragement of her best friend, Jasper, she opens a restaurant and looks forward to savoring the sweet side of life. That is, until a handsome Russian entrepreneur arrives in town, apparently intent on opening up his own restaurant in direct competition to hers. Sadie becomes obsessed with honing the one skill she’s never had – creating desserts – to keep up with her adversary, and in the process, she finds a love that’s simply icing on the cake.

My thoughts:

As this is Cerella's debut novel, this was my first time reading her work; however, it will not be my last.  She has quickly been added to my "must read" author list.  YAY!  Her book is easily my favorite Contemporary Romance so far for 2010.  It would be nice to see a sequel, because I would love to find out what happens to some of her secondary characters.  Though I'm not a huge fan of cooking or baking myself, for some reason, I love reading about characters who enjoy it.

We meet Sadie after she has returned to her childhood home of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and opened her very own restaurant, Suncatchers. She has hired a great bunch of employees, and is doing an excellent job bringing in customers.  She does have a couple of problems though.  One, she can't make a decent dessert to save her life, and second, rumor has it that someone has purchased the building across the street and is planning to open a restaurant.  Sadie finds out that this someone is Dmitri Velichko, and he has been dining at Suncatchers at least 2-3 times a week.  She thinks he's scoping out what she (the competition) has to offer, and finds it really hard to put up a nice facade whenever Dmitri drops by for a meal.

Sadie's daughter, Kylie, is my favorite character.  She had me laughing so hard at times that my hubby would ask me what in the world was so funny!  I would try to read an excerpt to him, but couldn't see for the tears rolling down my face.  I would love to see Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania released as a movie, just so I could see Kylie and her antics "in person".  I'm telling you, she's a real hoot!  =D

Jasper has been Sadie's friend since forever.  He bends over backwards to help her out anytime, anywhere.  He's a teacher at Kylie's school and babysits her a couple of hours every afternoon until Sadie gets home.  They have lots of fun together: playing Barbies, drawing pictures, and the stories Kylie tells about Mount Thousand Flushes will have you in stitches.  I love how she refers to herself in the third-person!  LOL

Sadie's dad, Mac, comes back into her life after deserting her and her Mom years ago.  Sadie has a really hard time working towards forgiving him, and treats him pretty badly at first.  I felt sorry for Mac, but could kinda understand why Sadie feels the way she does.  Kylie falls in love with her Grandpa right away, and loves to spend time with him.

If you've read and enjoyed any of the other Love Finds You in... books, then you definitely need to get your hands on a copy of Cerella's story that takes place in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  It's an absolute treat!  To find out more about Cerella and her book, please drop by and visit her at:
Her website
Sadie's blog

***I would like to say "thank you" to Cerella Sechrist for providing me with a copy of her book.  In no way did her generosity reflect on my personal review.***


CymLowell

9 comments:

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

This is definitely a keeper!!! I love it too!!

Awesome review Lori ;-)

XOXO~ Renee

Margaret Metz said...

I've heard such great things about this book. It's on my wish list for sure.

Cerella D. Sechrist said...

@Lori and @Renee - You guys are the best!! Thanks so much for the sweet reviews and support. I'm so glad you've both enjoyed LFY Hershey so much! (And Kylie makes me LOL, too...) :)

Lori (sugarandgrits) said...

@ Renee ~ You know how much I loved it! The characters are so lifelike that you feel as if you're right there with them. :)

@ Lee ~ YES! You've definitely gotta read it...I think you'll really enjoy it.

@ Cerella ~ Thank you so much for dropping by, it's great to hear from you! I'm one of your biggest fans, and can't seem to express enough how much I loved your book. There's so much more I wanted to say, but was afraid to give anything away. :) Thanks again for allowing me to review it...it was a real pleasure!

{{hugs}}

CeeCee said...

I definitely will have to get this book soon. You make it sound soooo good. Thanks Lori!

Unknown said...

I cannot WAIT to get a copy of this one!!! It's been popping up all over the place, and I haven't been disappointed by a single LFY book yet. Great review, Lori! :o)

Lori (sugarandgrits) said...

@ CeeCee & Christy ~ Yes! Get your hands on a copy ASAP! It's awesome! :D

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

Great review!! I can't wait to read this one!! I never see this series in stores for some reason.

Melissa said...

This book sounds wonderful ... perfect for me! I enjoy cooking, baking, Hershey, and humor. Thanks for sharing your review!