FicWishes: Whole Lot in Love - My Review of THE BIRTHDAY LIST by Devney Perry

Happily married to her college sweetheart, Poppy lived a blessed life with the husband of her dreams. Then everything changed. She is no longer a wife. She is no longer the envy of her single friends. Now, people look at her with pity as they whisper a single word behind her back.

Widow.

Years after her husband’s tragic death, years of pain and sorrow and wishing for the life she’ll never get back, Poppy decides to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’ll do the things he wanted to most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can complete his list, she can start to live again.

Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who delivered the news of her husband’s death and shattered her heart be the one to help her put it back together again?

BUY NOW

Turning to the door, I smiled, ready to greet my late-evening customer, but faltered as the door closed behind him.

Cole Goodman was walking my way.

My belly dipped as I took him in. His aviator sunglasses were perched on top of his chocolate-brown hair. A black polo stretched across his broad shoulders and pulled tight across his muscled arms. His pale-blue jeans molded to his Herculean thighs before draping down to his black, square-toed boots. The leather belt on Cole’s trim waist held both a shining badge and a holstered gun.

Cole smiled and locked his light-green eyes on mine as he crossed the room.

His straight, white teeth made my breath hitch—something that had happened last night more times than I wanted to admit.

Molly, who had turned around from her seat to greet our customer, spun around so her back was to Cole. Her cheeks flushed as she whispered, “Wow.”

Wow was right. Cole Goodman was—simply put—gorgeous. He could give a woman a speeding ticket and get a thank-you in return. He inspired women to attempt push-ups in a karate class just for the chance to watch him sweat through his gi. Cole made grown women blush like teenagers and giggle in corners, like those girls at the dojo last night.

Devney is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jamison Valley series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories. Devney loves hearing from readers! Connect with her on social media.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter

I'm going to be perfectly honest, I am one of the few readers in the world who did not read Devney Perry's Jamison Valley series. It just didn't appeal to me. However, there was something about THIS synopsis and the whole concept of fulfilling this birthday bucket list that grabbed my attention and had me asking to review it. I am so thankful that I did. This book was exactly what I needed.

Poppy Maysen is attempting to pick up the pieces of her broken life after the tragic loss of her husband. Her family lives far away and her in-laws cannot face her without seeing a gaping hole where their son should be. In an effort to honor her late husband, Poppy begins going through Jamie's birthday bucket list alone, hoping to get through them all before what would have been Jamie's next birthday.

Cole Goodman is stunned when he sees Poppy enter his dojo. The last time he saw her was when he was delivering the news that her husband was dead. He has no idea what brought her back into his life, but he has no intention of ever letting her leave it again.

This story is a sweet and sappy love story. It has sad and painful moments, but mostly it is filled with tenderness and hope.

Despite holding on to her memories of her husband, Poppy begins to let Cole in. They draw closer as they begin to check items off of Jamie's birthday list. There are times when I felt that Cole's actions were too good to be true, but at no time did they deter me or make me think of setting the book aside (and if you know me, you know I'm an epic non-finisher when it comes to books). He was over-the-top sweet and supportive, but it turns out that this was exactly what Poppy needed to be able to move forward in her life.

It was fun watching Poppy and Cole complete the list. There was no insta-love here. Cole had to work to win Poppy's affection. Because of the nature of the list, lots of time passes, giving depth to their relationship. The side characters were an awesome addition, bringing levity and helping the relationship move in the right direction. I really loved every bit of this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

And for real, when is someone going to open a Maysen Jar restaurant down the street from me?

4.5 out of 5 stars