Linnie Wayfair knows just how many people are counting on her. But knowing doesn’t make doing any easier.Everyone in Sweet Lake, Ohio, wants her to muster all her business sense and return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope she’ll forgive her scoundrel of a brother and reconcile the family. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open the inn—and her heart—to new … heart—to new possibilities. And her hilarious lifelong friends Jada and Cat are dropping none-too-subtle hints for her to ignite a romance with Daniel Kettering, the sexy attorney who’s been pining for her for years…
Now a shocking turn of events will open old wounds and upend the world Linnie has carefully built. She has to make changes quickly—and the results, though not entirely what she expected, might be what she’s been yearning for all along.
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THis was my first Christine Nolfi book. It will definitely NOT be my last. I adored it. The way all of the characters came to life made me feel like I was reading about family. The angst between Freddie & Linnie was everything fueding siblings suffer from. Jealousy and rivalry abound. The friendships between the Sirens is something all women aspire to have. Overall this story will have you laughing about the antics of the Sirens, sighing about Linnie & Daniel, and cheering everyone on success an happiness. A must read.
For over a century, a Wayfair has been at the helm of running the Wayfair Inn – a male heir. But in Christine Nolfi’s Sweet Lake which takes place in present day, Melinda Wayfair, known as Linnie, is at the helm. Linnie is perfectly capable and has been running the inn for seven years without the help of a man, mainly, her brother, Freddie. Their parents retire from the business, form a trust, and expect Freddie to run it. Treat and Sarah Wayfair are traditionalists. “From their perspective, running the Wayfair is a man’s business. They’d rather Linnie found a suitable husband and made her personal life the primary focus.” However, the nuts and bolts of this story is that Freddie can’t stand the thought of disappointing his father. Growing up, his father had certain expectations for him, but Freddie runs, steals money from the business and his parents, and manages to disappoint the whole town of Sweet Lake. They think he’ll return to run the Inn, but Freddie owns and operates Bad Seed Productions located in California, a filmmaking operation which makes millions of dollars. However, he needs to return to Sweet Lake and seek Daniel Kettering’s counsel – the same Daniel Kettering who has been pining for Linnie and has been her legal counsel for years. Daniel and Linnie were childhood friends, and Linnie has been secretly in love with him all these years too.
Linnie has been doing just fine running the inn, but she needs to reopen the south wing as too many rooms have been sitting empty along with the rest of the rooms in the main building, and that is her goal. How does she do it? Well, with the help of her best friends Jada and Cat, the Sweet Lake Sirens and Daniel, of course. The Sirens are a group of eccentric women who would do anything for Linnie and have her back. They make you laugh with the things they come up with! They not only want to see her succeed in opening the new wing, but they also want her to open her heart to Daniel. But it’s Frances, the oldest member of the Sirens and lifelong friends with the Wayfair family, who provides her gentle wisdom and guidance to Linnie. She wants Linnie to make the right choices and prove once and for all that she can operate the Inn, get her man, and have peace and happiness.
The difference between Freddie and Linnie is that she has a heart of gold and takes care of everyone but herself. Freddie, on the other hand, is extremely selfish, except when it comes to why he needs Daniel’s counsel. This is where Freddie proves he may have a heart after all, and with Frances’ advice and guidance, Linnie gets what she wants.
Nolfi’s books tug at my heart, and she has an endearing writing style that speaks to me. I was proud of Linnie negotiating with her parents, proving she has the intellect to run the Inn, and that she is the obvious choice to be the Operating Manager. Brava to Nolfi for writing a timely novel proving that in today’s world a woman can do anything. I highly recommend this novel.
Christina Nolfi is a great storyteller and this book a perfect rainy day or fun summer read. The Wayfair Inn in Sweet Lake, Ohio has been in the Wayfair family for generations. Up until now, it has been passed down to male heirs. Treat and Sarah Wayfair break the mold when they have not only a son, Freddie, but also a daughter, Linnie. It was their expectation that Freddie would take over the Inn. Freddie skipped town 7 years ago, with their money in his pocket on a quest to follow his dreams, leaving Linnie to pick up the pieces. She was forced to make tough decisions to keep the Inn functioning. Just when all seems to be going her way, Freddie comes back into the picture and what Linnie thought would be hers is not all she thought.
This book has many interesting facets; a story of family, friendship, love. I loved the characters in the book. I really felt that Linnie evolved in this book, finally coming to the realization that what her brother did to the Inn and to the town 7 years ago was not her fault nor her responsibility. She evolved in this book in that she finally realized it was ok to rely on her friends for support.
Intrigued? You have to read the book to find out more!
A nice intro to this series. The characters are well developed and the story is engaging. I recommend this to fans of the contemporary romance genre.