She’s had a setback.
A devastating car accident cost Tracy Jackson nearly everything, including a high-profile advertising job in San Francisco. Still recovering from her injuries, Tracy returns to the slow-paced life in small-town Harmony Valley and finds a job as a coffee barista at Martin’s Bakery.

When a handsome, smooth-talking travel writer shows up, ostensibly to highlight the charm of the town’s quirky Harvest Festival, the locals are thrilled. Harmony Valley has been undiscovered for so long that the town population has nearly dwindled down to nothing.

But a setback doesn’t mean she’s a pushover.
When Tracy realizes the charming travel writer is known for his sarcastic, lampooning style, she leaps to the town’s defense, determined to undermine the scammer’s efforts and protect those she loves, despite her injuries.

Titles in the Love in Harmony Valley series include — Dandelion Wishes —♥— A Small Town Second Chance —♥— A New Beginning in a Small Town —♥— A Small Town Summer —♥— Forever Family in a Small Town —♥— A Small Town Memory —♥— A Small Town Romance —♥— Finding Family in a Small Town —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few kisses).

Booksprout ARC

Title:  A Small Town Romance
Series:  Love in Harmony Valley #7
Author:  Melinda Curtis
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  June 20, 2023
Publisher:
My Rating:  4.5

While I have several “favorite” stories within the Love in Harmony Valley series, I have to admit that A Small Town Romance is among my top three of those favorite encounters with the quirky residents of this small town and the current love interests.

We first met Tracy in Dandelion Wishes; she’s the sister of one of the dot com millionaires who first came to Harmony Valley.  She’s had an accident that has caused speech difficulties for her, and her aphasia is affecting every aspect of her life.  She’s been let go from her advertising position and returned home, where she releases her frustrations through other artistic abilities as a coping mechanism.  Life moves along at a boring, frustrating pace until The Happy Bachelor, Chad, arrives in her hometown to kickstart his own career (and self-worth) through the lampooning and snarky, mean-spirited travel reports he’s infamous for writing.  His focus is those quirky, elderly residents of the town — and while he’s trying to come off as someone who has an interest (in a good way) in their festival, he’s really here to make fun of it and them in the most unkind way possible.

It is difficult to find any redeeming qualities about Chad when we first meet him.  He is a scumbag of the first order.  But.  We will discover that Chad also has a lot going on right now, including having his position at a national magazine taken away from him, issues about the elderly, and other things that you should discover on your own.  There is a slight hope of redemption at the beginning and over time that will grow, and we will see Chad change for himself and for Tracy, as well as those residents he’s coming to know for other reasons far beyond what brought him here in the first place.  Chad is a work in progress, and it shows.  But by the story’s ending, I found empathy for this man and hoped for his happy ending as well.

Tracy and Chad are such amazing characters, opposites in many ways, yet they each have issues that the other helps them overcome.  Hate and mistrust turn to hope and so many conflicting emotions for this couple and for the reader as well.  I loved everything about A Small Town Romance and would easily and happily recommend this story to any reader who loves a sweet, small-town romance with characters who leap off of the page as they learn to accept themselves and others through a lot of personal pain.  A well-written, emotionally engaging romance with some quirky elder residents… what’s not to love about that?

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle as this title is currently in KU