Carly's Rule by Vickie King

I just finished reading Carly's Rule, a wonderful first novel from talented author Vickie King.

Carly's Rule is the story of Carly Braddock who owns a bakery called Sugar Plums in her home town.  Carly's life hasn't always been easy.  In fact, she has known grief and loss in her young life.  She finally comes back home and opens her bakery.  She has a large family and spends time with her nieces and nephews when she isn't baking.  Life has taught her not to risk her heart.  She has one hard and fast rule about relationships.

Enter a man from her past - Luke Donovan.  Though intellectually, Carly knows he is dangerous to her heart, she is still attracted.  Will he be the one to finally break Carly's rule?

This is a warm, engaging tale, filled with realistic characters who face problems in their lives.  The players and the situations pull the reader into the story.  It is an engrossing read from beginning to end, filled with the colorful inhabitants of a West Virginia town.  All of the characters are well written and memorable.  They live on the page and in the readers' memory.  You will remember these folks and wonder about them when you close the book.

I give Carly's Rule four and a half stars, only because I wasn't ready for it to end!

This is the first book in a series. The second book due to be published in 2014 is the story of one of Carly's brothers and is entitled Dusty's Fate.

I will have my copy reserved.  I can't wait to read more about the Braddock family.

Warning! Ms. King does such a good job describing the delectable treats baked in the bakery, you may well be tempted to wolf down some carbs!

I hope you're listening, Hallmark Channel. You've got the makings of a great movie in this book.

What a lovely job, Ms. King!  Carly's Rule is a must read for fans of contemporary romance.

BLURB

Pastry Chef Carly Braddock only ever loved one man, Luke Donovan, who disappeared from her life years ago, breaking her heart and leaving her to wonder what happened to him. When he walks into Sugar Plums, her West Virginia bakery/cafe, and back into her life after all this time, she isn’t in a forgiving mood. Though he doesn’t know it, her experience with him shaped the other relationships in her life and led her to create a rule to protect her heart. What neither counts on is that the chemistry between them is still as fierce and tangible as it was all those years ago, and Carly doesn’t know until her heart is completely involved once again that Luke has kept an important part of his life from her. When she finds out what it is, she knows she must let him go, and this time for good. Not only did he keep something from her, but he broke the one thing she created to protect her heart . . . Carly’s Rule.

 

Available at Amazon.com

 

http://www.amazon.com/Carlys-Rule-1-Braddocks-ebook/dp/B00FAWKJ18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380495640&sr=8-1&keywords=carly%27s+rule