Title: Four-Leaf Clover

Published: Escape Publishing May 2014

Status: Read from May 12 to 13, 2014 — I own a copy {Courtesy the author}

My Thoughts:

With a sickly mother to support, a house badly in needs of repairs, and spiraling debts to pay, Clover Loveday desperately needs her fledgling bakery/cafe, the Four-Leaf Clover, to succeed. So, when she learns that the Upper Crust Bakery chain is opening a new store opposite, she is concerned about the effect it may have on her business and is prepared to tell the boss’s son, exactly whats she thinks of him and his business practices.
Liam Sinclair has never questioned the decisions his father has made for their company, The Upper Crust Bakery chain is successful and he is proud of the role he has had in growing it, but he’s never given much thought to the competition, until the moment the owner of Four-Leaf Clover literally falls into his arms. Still, no matter how attractive he finds Clover, business is business, with no room for the personal touch until Clover shows him that the bakery, and his life, is missing a vital ingredient – heart.

Four-Leaf Clover by Charmaine Ross is set in the leafy suburbs of Victoria’s Dandenongs Ranges. Told from the perspectives of Clover and Liam, it is a sweet romance that proves the old adage that opposites attract. Liam is wealthy, carefree and a representative of ‘big business’ while Clover is plagued with debt and responsibility and believes in a philosophy of people before profit. They should be enemies but from the first moment they meet, when Clover topples from a ladder into Liam’s arms, the attraction between them is undeniable.

Ross does a good job of building on the physical attraction that sparks between her characters. The obstacles to their relationship are believable, from Liam’s past heartbreak and his father’s interference to Clover’s pride and her legitimate concerns regarding Liam’s motives. Their intimacy doesn’t feel forced as they get to know one another, despite the compressed time frame.

I would have liked a few more scenes set in the cafe perhaps (maybe even the inclusion of a recipe) and for the confrontation between Liam and his father to have been fleshed out a little more but in general, I think the storyline is well thought out and believable.

The dialogue is authentic, though the prose is sometimes a bit awkward. There are some small issues with continuity and copy editing, which I assume will be corrected in the final copy.

I enjoyed Four-Leaf Clover as a short and lovely romance novel with a satisfying plot and likeable characters. A tempting sweet treat for an idle afternoon.