The Spell of Summer (Once Times Thrice #1) by Dianna Hardy
This was very different than Dianna Hardy's other novels. I am used to a fairly dark paranormal feel from her, and this was much more light and airy (I know it sounds weird, but that's what it was). The paranormal aspect was possibly there - depending on what your definition of magic and fate are. Meredith doesn't really believe in either one, but finds her life caught up in it just the same. This is a story of her finding herself and remembering who she really is and wants to be.
There are several female characters that we grow close to along the way, all fighting their own battles. It looks like their stories will be told in the next book(s). I love how their lives were so important to the telling of Meredith's story. Nothing would have turned out the way it did without them, and Meredith would have been a very different person. I can't wait to read more about them.
Jamie was just a tad lacking in depth for me. While everyone else seemed to have some deep buried secret clouding their lives, he swept in like a ray of saving sunshine to make things better. While it did make him stand out from the other characters, it wasn't always in the best way. How could he ever hope to understand what everyone was dealing with when he wasn't dealing with much himself. That small piece of his history aside, he was quite the dreamy hero. Calling him a "poetic soul" is a perfect description. Somehow the right words always seem to find him at just the right times.
Meredith and Jamie struggle a little - like most people do. But their romance was actually very very sweet and classic. It wasn't super exciting or overy dramatic - it was just very real, and sometimes that's the best kind there is.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
