For British baker Holly Jefferson, there's life after widowhood--even at the ripe old age of 27. Not that she knows it at first, hiding from the world whenever she's not managing a thriving bakery. But she rejoins the land of the living when a certain client wants more than one of her renowned multilayer cakes.
In a frothy romance that manages a somber moment or two, debut novelist Anouska Knight delivers a romantic hero straight from a catalogue. Dashing, rich and disagreeable, Ciaran Argyll swoops into Holly's life to meddle in her business and her bereavement, a move that detracts from his supposed irresistibility. Some readers may find it hard to forgive his upper-crust arrogance, but Knight gives ample distraction with steamy descriptions of Ciaran's hipbones in low-riding sweatpants. Holly's self-assurance anchors her story even as her suitor tries to run the show, and supportive relationships with her sister and employee build a sweet, strong character.
It can be difficult to work death into a love story without undermining the meant-for-each-other theme of the central romance. Knight manages to make Holly's lost husband more than a plot point on her way to new bliss, offering flashbacks to a relationship with its own flaws, humor and quirks. Though the persistent Ciaran would disagree, Holly's period of mourning is not presented as time wasted or even unhealthy. In a quaint setting of old farmhouses and British manors, the most genuine article of Since You've Been Gone is the romantic act of grief. --Allison Williams, senior editor, Seattle Met