REVIEW
It is always a pleasure to read one of Leanne Lovegrove’s stories as she’s such a great story teller. Her novels and novellas are well-crafted and beautifully packaged, too. And this one is a big winner in my books!
Adele Bastian-Jones is a wedding planner who gets caught between two brothers. She has known the younger Luke since she was sixteen. They have been best friends a long time but she secretly harbours romantic feelings for him. Yet he does not reciprocate the love interest. Rather he appears to use her devotion to his advantage. While away he meets a French woman, Juliette, and contacts Adele to say they are getting married in one month. He asks if she will be their wedding planner. Of course, this news is a shock and painful for Adele but she does not refuse his request. She is banking on the fact that by creating the best wedding possible, it will make Luke notice her as a romantic partner and not just as a best friend. Will he change his mind on his fiancée and realise he loves Adele instead? A gamble for sure but what follows is quite unexpected.
Adele arrives at the beautiful vineyard of Luke’s brother to begin the wedding plans. But she first meets the animals and this is a somewhat messy, though humorous event. Blake, the owner, rescues her from the mud and spitting alpacas. It is here we see she has a real germ phobia. But aside from that, it is interesting Leanne has included this animal in her story. As its behavioural tendencies coincide nicely with the characters! Female alpacas spit to ward off advances of males they are not interested in. Both genders spit to ward off an aggressor and to keep others away from their food. This behaviour is an interesting communication tactic. I could not help but compare the alpacas with the two brothers who also exhibit a male dominance/territory thing over Adele. In that respect, these alpacas fit right into the story!
While on the topic of animals, I also loved the little dog Marshmallow that Blake rescues (as he did with the alpacas). A nice touch to show he has a real soft spot for homeless animals. This says a lot about his selfless and kind character. Through his actions and dialogue, we get to see he is the best guy for Adele. He has known both success and suffering. Blake was a sport legend but had to leave the industry due to head trauma. He now suffers severe migraines and with diagnosed brain injury, his future health is at risk. He does not want to burden anyone so he tries not to get attached to women. But once he meets Adele, there is no way he can keep this self-imposed restriction. He is not only attracted to her but cares for her deeply. Yet, he discovers a stumbling block. She has her eyes set on his brother. This causes him to back off until something happens that wakes her from her emotional slumber.
This relationship journey between Adele and Blake is heart-warming and her realisation that Luke is not really suitable for her is a positive awakening. He has sincerely fallen for the French woman, Juliette, and their wedding is the final word on where his heart lies. I loved the toast that Adele gives as a tribute to the couple. A lot of wisdom wrapped up in this address. And as Adele states, she has learned a lot about love during the week leading up to the event.
Caught in Between is a warm and uplifting story that was a complete joy to read. Leanne Lovegrove is the queen of sparkling rural romances. Without fail she always offers inspiring settings, layered personalities and exciting plots. Once again in this novella, she delivers a strong central love story with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Caught in Between just made me hunger to read more about these delightful characters! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Leanne Lovegrove for my review copy.
