Review: Hometown Girl Forever (Hometown Series #3) by Kirsten Fullmer

Title: Hometown Girl Forever

         Hometown Series Book 3

Author: Kirsten Fullmer

Release Date: August 11, 2016

Published By: Augustine Press

Category: Contemporary – Romance – Sweet

Type: Digital – Paperback – Audio

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Kirsten Fullmer Website

Blurb: 

Lizzie gave up her stressful job in Boston to embrace her love of all things country in Smithville PA. Her farm, a new job at the spa, and her pet alpacas are a dream come true, if only her meddling, matchmaking, socialite mother would back off.

Elliot, a successful architect from Washington, DC, designed the new spa, but he certainly hadn't envisioned the exotic bohemian style manager or her intriguing, demanding mother. Small town antics and his interest in Lizzie extend his visit to Smithville, but will the allure of country life draw him in for good?

Once again, Smithville’s folk interfere with plans at every turn, forcing Lizzie and Elliot to face their personal dilemmas and each other, head on in this funny hometown romance.

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

“I guess since I’ve slept over at your place, bathed in your tub, worn your clothes, and stepped in your animal crap, I feel invested.”  ~  Elliott

 “I want you all the time. I can’t stop thinking about you!”  ~  Elliott

Excerpt:

          As if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Elliot whirled around. 

          Lizzie stacked the boxes on the end of the counter and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. 

          Elliot stood gaping at her, no words immediately available. Once again, her bohemian style had him off kilter. “Can I help you with those? You look absolutely beat…”With a grimace, he realized the comment wasn’t at all flattering. “No, I mean you must be exhausted, getting all this done …”he corrected, waving his hand toward the lobby. 

          Lizzie considered him for a moment, her expression tentative. “We did get a lot done, thanks to all the ladies who showed up, but there’s still tons to do. I’ll be back early tomorrow…”Her voice faded as she couldn’t help but notice that Elliot was staring at her chest. She glanced down, then back up. “Is something wrong?”she asked, folding her arms across her chest. 

          His gaze darted back up to hers and he flushed. “No—no, I’m sorry, I was just looking at your…”His brow wrinkled as he searched for the word. “Necklace…?”he offered. 

          Unfolding her arms, she lifted her necklace with one finger. “This?”

          He nodded. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”And it was true. He’d dated extensively, and the women he’d been with dressed in the latest outrageous styles. They wore all sorts of jewelry, from horrifically expensive gems to costume designs, but Lizzie’s outfit and accessories were unreal, and the whole thing appeared to be pieced from a scrap bin. 

          “Yeah, it’s a necklace,”she said, admiring the jewelry she’d bought at a prairie-style boutique a few weeks before. The long chain was tied with bits of lace and scraps of fabric, between charms and feathers. 

          “It goes with the rest of your outfit,”Elliot said, then blushed again, seeing as how he knew far more about women’s designer gowns than he did about Lizzie’s attire. 

          With her head tilted to one side, Lizzie appeared to try to decide if he was making fun of her. “Thank you…”she drawled, obviously undecided. 

           “So—did this room turn out like you’d planned?”Elliot asked, desperate to reclaim the conversation, but without hope that she’d see his point of view. He was not comfortable with any part of the spa at this point. And he was certain his father would feel the same way. The man was demanding when it came to running his architectural firm and up to now, Elliot hadn’t incurred his wrath by allowing a project to stray. 

          She stared at him hard for another long moment with those glowing dark eyes, looking for all the world as if she could read his mind and found him lacking. 

          A little shocked, he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. Women typically found him fascinating, flocking to his side, more than eager to talk about themselves and their careers. They usually didn’t stand glaring without speaking or smiling. 

          Finally Lizzie brushed past him into the lobby. “This place is perfect. Tara is a genius.”

          “Well I’m thrown by it, to be honest,”he commented. “This is very different than the spas I’ve designed for other clients.”

          She turned back to face him, a question in her eyes. “How so?”

          “My clients want ultra modern, pristine spas.”

          Lizzie stood silent for a moment, her expression dark. 

          He tried again. “Clean, professional, and all that…”

          Her fists planted on her hips. “Are you insinuating that this spa won’t be professional?”

          “Not at all,”he replied. Or was he? “I’m just wondering what your thought process is, that’s all. This looks more like someone’s lake cottage than a spa waiting room.”

          “Exactly,”she replied. 

          He stared blankly at her. “I don’t understand.”

          Lizzie hesitated, then appeared to resolve herself to some great task and sighed. Her shoulders dropped and she motioned toward the sofa. “Do you mind? My feet are killing me.”

          “By all means, please,”he nodded, his hand extended in invitation to be seated. 

          Lizzie dropped onto the couch and leaned back into the pillows with a long sigh. She plopped one laced boot onto the ottoman, then the other, crossing her feet at the ankle. “Thanks.”

          Elliot watched her, noting her boots with amusement. Once she was settled, he found his way to perch on the far end of the sofa. His eyes crinkled with a smile as he tossed another glace at her boots. Then he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. 

          “Where were we?”Lizzie asked, her eye meeting his and catching there. 

          “The spa…being considered professional at first glance…”he began. 

          She tore her gaze away and nodded, her eyes roaming the room. “Well, based on the excitement level of the community, or the women anyway, this should be a place that women feel comfortable waiting their turn. I am about the only staff so far.”

          His brow went up in surprise. “You’ll be the only staff?”

          Once again Elliot had her on edge, and a small crease formed between her eyes. “No, we’ll have a receptionist, and Tara will help with the books, but for now I’ll be the only massage therapist and nail tech, so we need to provide a place where the ladies will be comfortable and happy waiting.”She shifted in her seat. “At least until we see how much business we have, then we can plan for the future. Right now the spa will only be open three days a week.”

          Concern crossed his face. “Can you live on a part-time income?”

          

          Flat-out insulted, Lizzie scowled at him. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”Elliot blushed. Given the state of her ramshackle house, he’d assumed that she must be poverty-stricken. Everything was obviously different here than in the city. Back home a person’s clothing and their home told you everything you needed to know about their income and social standing. In an effort to regroup, he tried again. “What about first impressions?”he asked. “You know, how your spa is evaluated at first glance. It doesn’t look like a modern, sterile facility.”

          “Everyone knows I’m certified and they seem comfortable with my qualifications. It’s clean. And new…”She frowned. “And…first impressions, here? Really?”

          “Yes, first impressions.”

          She smirked, mocking humor glowing in her eyes. “Honey, first impressions don’t happen here.”

          Shocked, Elliot tossed one hand in the air. “Of course they do! How do you ever hope to attract walk-in customers if you don’t consider first impressions?”

          Tugging her feet off the ottoman one at a time, she leaned forward, clearly amused. “You’re serious.”

          “I am. Surely you see the need for ongoing customer regeneration.”

          Her head bobbed with classic female irritation. “Just how much walk-in traffic do you think we’ll get out here? We pretty much have a captive crowd with the inn guests. And first impressions?”Her hand flew in the air. “Good lord, man, everyone out here knows what the inside of your fridge looks like! They know what you drive, your mother, and the first person you ever kissed. Hell, they even know how many puppies your dog just had. First impressions?”

          Elliot’s face drained and his shoulders sagged. “Surely not…”

          She nodded, her curls bobbing. 

          Silence hung between them, his eyes on hers, both wondering if the other understood. 

          Finally he spoke. “Well…how do you ever come up with a password if everyone knows your first pet and your mother’s maiden name?”

          Startled by his comment, Lizzie snorted. “Right…?”

Highlight:

          Lizzie finally stood and strode across the kitchen to a set of rusty metal shelves stuffed with an assortment of baskets and canning jars. Her makeshift pantry, obviously. 

          “Would you like something to drink while I tend to the animals?”she asked, shouldering past him. She held up a teakettle. “I have all sorts of tea, I can grind some coffee, or I made some lemonade last night…”Her voice faded off into the room when she noticed the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

          Quickly collecting his wits, Elliot cleared his throat. “No, no, don’t go to a bother, please.”

          Lizzie sighed and rubbed her temple for a moment. “Look,”she finally said, “I’ve been a grouch tonight and I’m sorry. I was…You’re new here and all this must seem strange. I’m glad to have you here, really.”

          He seemed dubious. 

          “Seriously,”she sighed, pulling out a kitchen chair and dropping into it. “I’ve been moving for what feels like forever, and then unpacking the spa, and the bus wreck…To be honest…it’s pretty quiet out here compared to Boston. Some company might be nice.”

          Shocked that Lizzie’s wall of irritation had crumbled, Elliot pulled out a chair and sat across the table, his eyes still straying to various items in her kitchen. Finally he turned to her. “I’m sure it’s been rough. What can I do to help?”

          Lizzie snorted. “Nothing.”Silence stretched between them. “I need to go feed the…things,”she finally chuckled. “It won’t take me long.”

          Glad to see her mood lighten, Elliot grinned. “Can I help?”

           Already headed for the back door, Lizzie paused in the mudroom long enough to tug on a ratty pair of coveralls, then stuffed her feet info a pair of rubber muck boots. “No, it’s okay, you’ll ruin your clothes. You wouldn’t enjoy this, I’m sure.”

          “How do you know?”he asked, springing from the chair. “I want to see the…alpacas.”Pleased that he’d remembered the correct word, he waited expectantly for her reply. 

          She paused, her hand on the doorknob, analyzing his face. “Suit yourself.”She shrugged, then headed out toward the barn. 

          Again surprised at Lizzie’s willingness, Elliot lurched into motion, following her out the door. By the time he was halfway across the yard, picking his footing in the dark, Lizzie was tugging open the heavy barn door. At the entrance to the barn he lurched to a stop to scope out the interior, taking in the pile of hay bales, tack hanging along the walls, the stalls and tools, but mostly the huge furry beast of a dog, baring its teeth, ready to spring. 

          “Lizzie…”he whispered, afraid to move a muscle. 

          With the pitchfork in her hand, Lizzie turned and patted her thigh. “Lucky, it’s okay, he’s a friend, come here…”

          The dog wasn’t so sure, however, and after a quick glance in Lizzie’s direction, continued to stare down Elliot. 

          “I don’t think it believes you,”Elliot said, standing as stiff and awkward as a scarecrow, his hands raised as if he didn’t want to be shot. 

          Lizzie grinned and cocked her head to one side. “Maybe that’s because you look like you don’t belong here.”And that was an understatement. The man’s classy trousers and expensive shirt, complete with tie and cufflinks, had no place in a barn, not to mention his outrageously expensive shoes. He looked like a slightly deranged mannequin on Fifth Avenue. “I don’t think Lucky has ever read GQ,”she chuckled. 

          “Well, do something before it lops off my leg!”he said from behind clamped teeth and a grimace of a smile. 

          Leaning the pitchfork against the wall, Lizzie tromped to Elliot’s side and patted her thighs. “Come here, Lucky, come say hello.”

          The big dog immediately relaxed and trotted to Lizzie, eager for attention. 

          “You’re just a big sweet lump of matted fur, aren’t you, girl,”Lizzie crooned to the dog with an affectionate pat on the head. 

          Elliot visibly relaxed. “Hi, Lucky…”he said with an expression of hopeful insecurity as he lowered one hand for the dog to sniff. 

          After several whiffs and quick lick, Lucky reared up to place her mud-covered front paws on Elliot’s chest, licking at his face, nearly toppling him backwards. 

          “Whoa girl!”he cried, stumbling back into the pile of hay bales, his elbows attempting to block his face. 

          “No, Lucky!”Lizzie gasped, struggling to get between Elliot and the dog. “Get down! Get down! Down!”

          The big dog flopped back to the ground and trotted toward the paddock, leaving Elliot white faced and stunned. 

          “I’m so sorry about your shirt,”Lizzie gasped, brushing frantically at the manure-and-mud mixture covering his chest. “I tried to warn you, it’s probably ruined…”

          Elliot didn’t move, and after a few seconds Lizzie paused, her hands still on his shirt, then kinked her head back to meet his eye. 

          In the dim light Elliot’s face was in half shadow but his eyes twinkled, and his hands came up to cover Lizzie’s. “It’s just a shirt…it’s okay.”

Review: 

Lizzy has been suffocated by her parents her entire life. Maybe not quite so much from her father, but definitely her mother. Desperate for the social circles she’s never quite been accepted into, her mother has groomed her to obtain everything she never had but always wanted. Years later, Lizzy is tired of it. All she longs for is a simple small-town life away from the stress and hustle of the city. To do this, she must make dramatic changes to follow her heart. Problematic, her mother continues to plague her conscious thoughts and she never truly breaks free. Intent on doing the opposite of whatever her mother would approve of, she ends up confining herself in a new type of box. While she seems to be living the way she wants to, she still hesitates to make certain decisions because they would line up with her mother’s vision. Most recently those decision involve Elliott, designer of the spa she’s now managing. He throws her for a loop. Nothing like what she expected, he still represents what she left behind and saying yes to him would betray her vow never to return to that constricting existence. Or would it? When her parents unexpectedly crash her new life, shocking revelations eventually come to light, leaving Lizzy reeling from their implications. More confused than ever, she teeters continually where Elliott is concerned.

Elliott is a city boy through and through. Completely taken aback by the direction of the spa he designed, he quickly finds himself enchanted by Lizzy and the small town of Smithville. He’s used to catering to the sleek and sexy crowd of city socialites. He’s originally come for a short visit to check the progress of the spa and visit with his good friend Justin and his new bride. But in the blink of an eye, he starts to make plans with Justin for future business ventures. After a while he realizes this is a positive move which would also allow him to be close to Lizzy. He’s been going through the motions of working in his father’s architecture firm, and he’s good what he does, but he’s never had a passion for the business. With Lizzy’s inspiring influence and Justin’s cutting-edge ideas for the future, Elliott finally finds a spark of passion that’s been missing from his life. The trick is getting his father on board and eventually he will have to return to deal with his newly discovered hunger. The other desire ignited is far more than a spark and had everything to do with Lizzy. Elliott sees their potential and wants to move forward, but Lizzy is stuck in her own head. Luckily, Elliott is up for the challenge.

I didn’t originally intend on reading this book, but I recently participated in a blitz for this book on my blog and ended up with a copy. The premise was cute, so I decided to give it a read. Ultimately the book is cute and quirky, but there were several things that irritated me. Let’s get the annoying attributes out of the way first. For one, the word “clod” appears several times in close proximity. I do not have an issue with this word, but when it is used several times within a few paragraphs, it gets unnecessarily repetitive. Just something I picked up on that I didn’t care for. Additionally, there were several minor editing errors, so this book could definitely use another run through. I was always able to decipher what was meant, but the delay in reading due to the errors was unappreciated. There is also a glaring problem with how Lizzy makes the dramatic metamorphosis from big city socialite to country bumpkin. In the space of a year at night school she picks up certificates as a nail tech and masseuse. Sure, it’s possible. However, she also has a huge interest in several other subjects including looming alpaca wool and making homemade soaps; just to name a few. The likelihood that she would have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time is next to nil. So maybe she’s actually a genius in disguise? I don’t know. But all of her accomplishments occurring so quickly didn’t work. One of the characters ends up pregnant in the story. Generally, I do not have objections to pregnancy additions in a book. In this case, the news could have been a welcomed surprise. However, by the time the words were spoken, I was irritated. The signs were drawn out overlong and absolutely no one had a clue as to what was going on. Seriously? I figured it out after the first symptom. Not to mention there are a ton of hen-pecking women running about all throughout the days and not one of them picked up on things quicker? I don’t think so. This is a close-knit community and with the symptoms occurring, this revelation coming so late in the book seemed implausible.

My biggest annoyance was Lizzy’s mother, Beatrice. Good frickin grief! The woman is like a dog with a bone. She never gives Lizzy a break. But Lizzy just sits there taking the verbal punches; her friends trying to defend her without seeming rude; Elliott turning on the charm and winning Beatrice over. At one point I estimated that nearly half of the text was concerning both Beatrice and Lizzy’s adamant refusal to say yes to anything that remotely smelled like something her mother would approve of. I recently read a book akin to this one. The female lead was so caught up by a nickname she was given in grade school that she created a life in which she became someone she was – yet wasn’t. She followed her dreams and did what made her happy, but she never truly had achieved freedom from the clutches of the epithet because she was so busy trying to dodge anything that even slightly reminded her of that horrific name. She even almost lost the perfect guy for her because of the parallels between him and the moniker. This book was identical in this respect. Lizzy refuses to give in to her heart because Elliott is everything Beatrice would have approved of. Here’s the kicker though – she should have realized that although he may have encompassed much of what her mother sought out in the perfect guy, Elliott was also very much the opposite of that cookie cutter form. The things he participated in and supported were what drew Lizzy to him in the first place and instead of following her heart and the part of Elliott that drew her in, she just kept focusing on Beatrice’s overbearing wishes for her life. It got old after a while. In fact, at one point I began rolling my eyes each time Mommy was mentioned.

Now for the redeeming qualities. Lizzy’s father and then Beatrice. *gasp* Did I just write that? Why, yes. I did. The very being that annoyed me to no end ends up being an amazing character that I came to enjoy quite a lot once the claws were shed. I won’t go into details as I dislike writing in spoilers but suffice to say that when it’s all said and done, I nearly enjoyed Beatrice more than I did Lizzy. I know. It sounds ridiculous even to me. But I swear it’s the truth. Harold, her father, even ends up being a pretty cool guy. The revelations regarding their past and the motivations for why they were so caught up in maintaining a standing within society kind of makes sense. Not that I agreed with such drastic and dramatic actions, but at least an adequate excuse was provided. Just to throw an example to the dramatic change I give you the last line of the book … “You’re obviously going to need some help with this place.” Spoken by Beatrice … What the actual????? This is so not anything Beatrice would have said. And what does it mean? But this is the magic authors possess. A reader can be set on how they feel about a book and with the addition of one single line, everything shifts. It’s happened several times to me before. One line makes or breaks a book because I was hovering precariously on the tip of the fence post. And now I find myself needing to find out what the next book will bring. Ugh. I must sound like a lunatic.

Elliott’s cuss words were a hilarious addition! “Mother of Pearl” and “Holy sheepskin” just to mention a couple of them. I enjoy when an author can keep things lighthearted and avoid a bunch of F-bombs. It wasn’t necessary and Ms. Fullmer recognized this. Thank you for that. As far as the sensual scenes, they were present, but sweet and glossed over. No descriptions except to elude to what occurred without saying overmuch. True, I tend to read books that are more frequently erotic and beyond, but it is also nice to have a break at times from the smut. Not much, mind you, but a tiny break. 😊 Overall, this is a pretty cute story with some characters who are a bit odd. And I say “odd” with affection. This book is the third in a series and having not read the previous books, I assume these characters are recurring within the town of Smithville. The message is clear even though it took quite a bit of a journey to get there … Trust your heart and above all follow your heart. Do not allow others to force their wishes and ideals on you. Live for what makes you happy and fills you up. No one can hold power over you and rule your life if you don’t allow them to. Despite the vexing qualities within these pages, I still successfully gleaned the silver lining. And much to my own astonishment, I actually want to read the next book to find out what Lizzy’s parents do.

Kindle version provided by Expresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.