I had B.K. Borison’s “Business Casual” on my TBR for over a year — indeed, since the day it came out — but I balked at reading it. Not because I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but because turning the last page would mean saying goodbye to the good people of Inglewild, Maryland, and the Lovelight Christmas tree farm.
The final installment (for now? Please, B.K., give us more!) “Lovelight” book focuses on Nova Porter, a young tattoo artist (and youngest sister of Beckett, Lovelight’s farm manager) on the eve of opening her own shop, and Charlie Mitford (half brother of Stella, Lovelight’s owner). They enter into what they both insist is just a casual fling, while both are trying to hide from each other that it feels a lot more serious than that.
As with the other “Lovelight” books, it’s the characters who make this book special. And not just the main characters (who are delightfully quirky), but the whole town of side characters: the town’s bakery owner who comes off as a crusty rye loaf but is actually a sweet cream puff; the sheriff and his husband who owns the pizza joint; the wonderful Porter clan, reigning champions of the monthly pub quiz; and, of course, Stella and Luka, the couple who launched the series. Plot-wise, it’s a bit thin: Nova has some challenges making decisions about her new shop, Charlie is finally pushing back against his controlling father, and they’re both trying to hide their relationship from the town and the depths of their feelings from each other. But the comic and romantic set pieces bring the characters to life, and the writing is fast-paced and delightful.
I’ve got more B.K. Borison books on my TBR, neglected for largely the same reason as this last “Lovelight” book: finishing a Borison book means one less Borison book to read!
