When actor Bryce Edwards is abruptly cut from his current film project, he decides maybe it's time to take a break from Hollywood. It's been years since he last set foot in his Minnesota hometown, as he resolved long ago to leave the heartbreak it caused very much in the past. But he wonders if going back to his roots--and confronting his first love, Cody, who broke his heart--might be just what he needs to get through his current funk and set himself on a better path going forward. But when he gets there, Cody's life is also in a completely different place that Bryce expected and he begins to wonder what he was hoping to find. But one of the proprietors of the B&B where Bryce is staying has taken a shine to him, and there might just be something there he can't shake.

I expected this would be an angst-ridden book after reading the description and the first few chapters, but it is surprisingly not very angsty at all. Bryce is certainly not in the best place when the story begins (even more so than he is willing to admit), but it's not a story of brooding and whining or anything like that. And there's something about finding what you didn't know you were looking for in a place where you least expect it that makes for an inspiring tale. ( )

This was a really down-to-earth story about Bryce, 29 year old actor who's struggling to make it big in Hollywood. He's singlemindedly working toward that goal, always giving 100%, but when the one role he thought will help make him really famous gets taken away from him, he decides he needs a break and goes to visit his hometown for Christmas. There he meets Dion, who slowly fills a space in his life that was empty.
Bryce is fiercely independent and has a hard time accepting help from anyone, and he has to figure some things out before he and Dion can make a relationship work.
I liked that Bryce's career seemed so realistic. There's no easy way to fame. You work hard, you give your all, and if you're lucky, and you get noticed by the right people you might succeed. I really felt for him and the struggles he went through. He didn't give up when almost anyone else would have, and that makes him a true professional and it shows how much acting really meant to him. And the fact that he had the courage to come out even when that could mean he'd never make it big goes to show how good Dion is for him.
I would have liked Dion's perspective too, because I couldn't get him sometimes. ( )