You all know how it can be with high expectations. If not met they can become the worst buzz kill imaginable. And let me tell you, my expectations for this final book in the Inn BoonsBoro triology were mile high. I've been waiting for this story since the first time Ryder made an appearance on page.
Especially this year my too high, maybe even unreasonable expectations have ruined quite a few promising books for me, so I was hopeful and anxious at the same time when I started reading.
So like I said, sometimes they can ruin everything for you, but there are rare times when those expectations simply get hit out of the ballpark because you get so much more than you could have ever imagined. "The Perfect Hope" was such an experience.
I'm not trying to build up your own expectations, but I don't think there was a chapter, scene or moment that I wasn't completely satisfied with. I simply devoured this book and loved every single second of it.
Nora Roberts included all the small and big details and events I was looking forward to, but at the same time she gave me so much more. Things I didn't even know I wanted to read about until she wrote about them.
Hope was a likable, straightforward and caring heroine who made reading this story so much more enjoyable (sometimes it's hard for me to like or relate to female characters). But it was Ryder who stole the spotlight. I don't know how Nora Roberts did it, but this surly, gruff and hardworking guy managed to come across as ridiculously sexy and adorable at the same time. His behavior towards his mother, brothers and Hope couldn't have been more different, but you could always see how much he cared for all of them. It were just his creative and often gruff ways of showing that affection that were the most entertaining and heart-warming.
Of course there were some similarities and parallels between this book and the last one in the Bride Quarte series once again, but they weren't as glaringly obvious as in "The Last Boyfriend". I still felt as if I was reading about two "new" characters, even though there was some overlapping when it came to their characterization.
Once again I fell in love with all the main and secondary characters in Roberts' series and I was especially satisfied with the way the Lizzy mystery was resolved.
But my personal highlight (apart from Ryder, of course) were the dialogues and conversations. They ranged from emotional and tense to heart-warming and hilarious. It didn't matter if they were talking (almost philosophically) about shoes, magical babies or overcoming your past and fears. This book and it's interactions just felt so refreshing and real to me, it's hard to describe. But just the fact that it got me out of a reading slump that lasted way over a month should tell you enough.
Basically all I want to say is that I adored this book and it's charming variety of characters. So if you're a fan of the series or looking for a cozy, funny, sexy and at times emotional book you HAVE to buy this.
If you are new to the series I would recommend you start at the beginning with "The Next Always", otherwise you will be missing out on some great Ryder/Hope interactions and wonderful love stories.
