Glenbriar isn’t for everyone an amazing place…

Synopsis

She’s about to take him on a journey he never saw coming

After a couple of dreadful years, Elise Reid has finally found success working for a coach tour operator in Glasgow. But when she’s sent back to her hometown of Glenbriar to cover for a sick colleague, she finds herself stuck on a coach with her ex-fiancé… plus his new wife, his stroppy little sister, and his best friend – a man who’s always hated her.

Burnt out and searching for a break, eco-blogger and environmental activist Gabe Wilder decides a coach tour with his best friend would be a good way to unwind and reset. But when the tour guide shows up, Gabe can’t believe his bad luck. He and Elise have never got on, and after what she did to his best friend, he’s kept her at arm’s length, despite a simmering attraction he’s never confessed to anyone – even himself.

Unfortunately, neither Elise nor Gabe’s resistance to each other got the memo, and the more time they spend together, the more their chemistry sizzles. But between the watchful eyes of the group and the knowledge that this trip has an expiry date, giving in to temptation is a mistake waiting to happen. If they want a real chance at happiness, they must stop looking back, take a risk, and trust that sometimes, the best detours lead exactly where they’re meant to be.

My review

Elise Reid has made many mistakes in her life. So in order to get her life back on track, she left Grenbriar and is happy working for a coach tour operator in Glasgow. Working behind the scenes is exactly what Elise wants, but when there is a new base opening in Glenbriar, and the tour that has been organised is suddenly without a guide, Elise finds herself back on the coach. To make things even worse, the tour is with a few familiar faces. Faces that Elise isn’t ready to see yet, as it is her ex – fiancé and his new wife, that same ex – fiancé’s little sister and his best friend. With a shared past, Elise fears that this tour will turn into a real nightmare. But what she didn’t expect is that out of the blue, she finds herself attracted to Gabe Wilder, the best friend. The friend who is a famous eco – blogger but feels burned out, and does not know where life will take him next. So going on a coach tour with his best friend could be a way to get a clear head and reset. Even if Elise is the tour guide, the person that hurt his best friend. And whatever happens, bro’s before…, right? Yet during the tour there is not only an initial attraction, but sparks start to fly around like fireworks. And with the agreement that what happens on the tour stays on the tour, nothing could go wrong, right?

I always love returning to Glenbriar. However, this time I didn’t feel the same joy that I usual had. As in the previous books, I loved the main characters from the very start, with Elise, it was the opposite.

Because as I have read all the previous books of this wonderful series, I knew of Elise, her past, and her connection to a few characters. And what she did preciously, didn’t paint a great picture of Elise. Yet I also am a believer that people can change and deserve a second chance.

So while I was perhaps a little bit reluctant, I wanted to give Elise a chance not to only show us how she has changed, but also I wanted her to have her own happy story.

Elise working for a coach tour operator resonated with me, as my own brother works as a tour guide during school holidays. And as I have been with him on a few tours, I know how tiring and even exhausting it can be. Not only the trip itself, but also the people on it too! And I could perfectly understand why Elise isn’t all that happy to be in that coach again, as she definitely prefers working behind the scenes.

Of course I could also perfectly understand how Elise wants the ground to swallow her, once she learns that there are people on the tour that she knows. And not just any people, but her ex-fiancé Aidan with his wife Lilah, Aidan’s sister Scarlett and then there is Gabe… Talking about a nightmare coming true!

Yet I have to admit, even if I was still wary of Elise at first, I had to absolute admire her professionalism. I don’t know if I would be able to keep my calm with what is happening on the coach, involving mainly Scarlett and her boyfriend…

A professionalism Elise tries to keep up all the time, no matter how awkward each situation is. It cannot be easy to be facing those people of the past, especially as they clearly only know the façade Elise showed and still shows them.

Because the more I got to know Elise, the more I had to readjust my opinion of her. Of course, she made mistakes in the past, but haven’t we all made mistakes? And it saddened me to read how she didn’t let anyone close enough to show them the real Elise. Because the Elise behind closed doors is not the Elise that everyone sees and believe to know.

Elise shows a vulnerability that many of us also have. Reading those doubts, fears and insecurities felt at moments like a mirror in my face, because I saw some of those bits also in myself…

Elise truly has changed, she knows what she did was wrong. And being faced with  that past again, while trying to move on, even if she hasn’t found the courage to return to Glenbriar yet, felt like a slap in her face, even perhaps a much needed wake – up call.

A wake – up call that also comes in the form of Gabe.

Gabe has been Aidan’s best friend for years. So obviously, when Elise broke Aidan’s heart, he stood by Aidan, just like a real friend should.

And how he cares about his friendship with Aidan, how he acts as a brig brother with Scarlett, shows the kind of man Gabe is. When he cares, he *cares* and he would go lengths for his loved ones.  

But on a personal level, Gabe is a bit in turmoil, as he does not know what to next career – wise. And I could understand it, because while he has been rather successful as a eco – blogger, it starts to feel more and more like a chore, and not a passion anymore…

A passion that suddenly ignites with the most improbable person ever, the woman that broke his best friend’s heart. Of course as a reader I absolutely enjoyed reading how awkward it feels for both Elise and Gabe, and they don’t know what to do with those feelings.

And let me tell you, pfeeew sparks fly around! They keep gravitating around each other every moment, and when they give in, to ‘get rid of that itch’ (yeah right, who believes that anyway! 😊) I felt a happiness because despite their intentions, something shifts.

Elise and Gabe are able to open up something inside of each other, something unexpected but so much needed. And it was beautiful to read how they find each other, the two most unlikely people to get together.

In this book we not only see how everyone deserves a second chance, a new opportunity to not find love perse, but to find happiness again, to be able to return back home. We see the struggles of allowing to be just yourself, to let everyone see the real you, the beautiful bits but also the ugly (a.k.a. the painful) ones. It is also about loyalty, with the struggles of following your heart, but possibly causing a betray to your loved ones.

But most important, we see the love, care generosity and the will of forgiveness of people. We see in this lovely book, by this amazing author, that love, in every aspect, will always prevail and will find a way to express itself.