Clove Lore, where broken hearts and feelings of sadness can be healed…

Synopsis

‘Tis the season for finding love… and the perfect book

With just two weeks until Christmas, everything in Clove Lore should be perfect. But the latest holidaymaker to the Borrow a Bookshop is feeling far from festive…

Icelandic ex-bookseller Magnús Sturluson might be surrounded by love stories in the Bookshop, but he’s nursing a sadness that not even fiction can fix.

When Alexandra Robinson finds herself stranded in Clove Lore, she finds a safe place to hide from heartbreak. After all, all that’s waiting for her at home is a cheater boyfriend and the memories of her parents. As Alex finds herself embraced by the quirky village community, she finds her tough exterior thawing – and as she grows closer to Magnús, she finds an equally soft heart under his gruff shell.

It seems that Clove Lore is working its magic once again – until a great flood on Christmas Eve brings devastation in its wake. It’s up to Magnús and Alex to batten down the hatches and help bring the village back together again, while also introducing the locals to the Icelandic tradition of the jólabókaflóð – Yule book flood – where families and friends gather on Christmas Eve to exchange books and read together.

But can Magnús and Alex truly rescue the ruins of the village, and salvage their Christmas spirit? Or is there another complication lurking even closer than they thought?

My review

Magnús Sturluson has always loved books. His love for books was even that big that at home in Iceland he opened his own bookstore. But thing didn’t work out and that has left Magnús felling depressed and feeling like a failure.
So the last thing he needs is to spend his holidays in Clove Lore, working in the Borrow a Bookshop, where his emotions of being a failure only grow…
That is until he meets Alexandra Robinson, who literally washed ashore after discovering her boyfriend cheating on her.
Alex for sure doesn’t want to spend her time at home, feeling heartbroken and not knowing what to do with her life.
She immediately feels welcomed at Clove Lore, and even grows closer to Magnús, who has a tender heart behind that cold stance he pretends to have.
Clove Lor seems to work its magic again, as it seems to bring two heartbroken people together, but the whole community is forced to face the brutality of nature when a flood at Christmas Eve flood the whole place. Everyone joins forces, but is everything, tangible and not, salvable? And do Magnús and Alex have a future together while their past and present are as far as possible from each other? 

First things first, I loved returning to Clove Lore, and returning to my old friends and see how they are all doing after the first book. But even if you haven’t read the first book, you can perfectly read this as a standalone.  

In this book I felt sorry for both main characters. It was sad to learn Alex’ story, how she is still grieving over the loss of parents, feeling the need to belong with someone, somewhere. On top of that, she is not chasing her own dreams, but makes sure her father’s dream stays alive and she catches her boyfriend in a compromised position with her best friend. 

While it may not have been the smartest move, I could completely understand why Alex wanted to get away from everyone and everything, and doesn’t want to reveal the truth when she is stranded in Clove Lore. 

And then there is Magnús. He also has a broken heart, but somehow I felt his story even a sadder one than Alex’. As a booklover myself, I could understand his passion for books and his wish to make people happy by selling wonderful tales to them.
But it truly saddened me to see how his dream got crushed, and how his shop caused not only the end of his relationship. I saw and felt his pain and his feeling of being a failure. 

But in this story, it’s a case of two broken hearts pulled together and how they are able to help each other out.
I loved how Magnús sees Alex like the mermaid from his dreams and how protective he acts towards her. It’s with small gestures that he lets us see just how amazing he is, despite his low self – esteem.
I also was very curious to read about the Icelandic legends and traditions. I was very intrigued by them, and it made me look for more about them on the amazing world of the Net, going as far as ordering my own Lopapeysa. I hope,it will make me feel as warm and cosy as how I felt reading this book!

And even if Alex is not feeling at her own best, she manages with her warm and kind character to melt the hard exterior of Magnús. She appreciates the help she receives from Magnús and everyone else.  

It warmed my heart seeing these two main characters together.
But what I loved the most about it, was how down – to – earth the both of them are. No matter how wonderful these two weeks together are, they both know that one day have to return home and do some soul-searching.
Because before they can be happy together, they need to figure out first what they want from life for themselves, and not what someone else wants them to want. And that made me appreciate this book even more. How can you find happiness if you don’t know what you truly want? 

But this isn’t only the story of Magnús and Alex, but of the whole community… My heart initially broke to see how the place is ruined by a great flood. And as that is happening on Christmas Eve, the sense of desperation is even bigger.
But then my heart swelled with warmth and even pride seeing how everyone put their best foot forward, Magnús included, to turn this in an unforgettable Christmas Eve… 

I found this a wonderful, heart – warming story about an amazing place, great characters, overcoming a great loss, different for each and every one of them, but finding happiness and love.