LMCreative, $2.99, ISBN 978-1005646004
Contemporary Romance, 2021
Walking Walrus Cafe is the name of Monya Fournier’s establishment, the heart and soul of the idyllic town of Peachland. She runs the café with her daughter Nina, who is raising a daughter on her own. Having been a single mother herself, Monya is there to give Nina all the support her daughter needs, and all the love and affection that any granddaughter can ask for.
She is content, but our widowed heroine’s life is going to be even more complete when art dealer Brett Grayson whisks into town.
Leigh Macfarlane’s story features a couple that is older than the average romance novel lead, which is nice. Actually, “nice” is an apt adjective to use when it comes to this one, as everything here is as peachy as the name of the town. The couples have zero discernible human flaws, there is no conflict here that can’t be resolved quickly with minimal effort, and everything is just so freaking perfect and everyone is so freaking nice, it’s really not a surprise for me to discover that there isn’t any suspense or even romantic tension.
Indeed, much of the story revolves around Monya and Brett interacting with various secondary characters—and there are so many of them, it’s like they are on a conveyor belt that moves around the couple—and because everyone is so nice and agreeable, these interactions have a mundane, uninteresting tinge to them. If I didn’t find these secondary characters too intrusive for my taste, I may enjoy moving into that neighborhood, yes. That doesn’t mean it’s as enjoyable to read about these people. Some genuine drama or conflict would have livened things up.
Not that I am saying that this story is unreadable. Far from it, really. This one is well written and easy to read. It’s just that the author is too concerned with showing her characters and her setting in the best light possible, this one ends up being more like a Peachland real estate brochure than a compelling romantic drama. I certainly don’t regret reading this thing, but I can only regretfully report that my reaction to it is an indifferent shrug.
Persistently nice people and nice things rarely make for interesting stories, as Walking Walrus Cafe aptly demonstrates.
