Having read the first two books in this series and having enjoyed the different style of romance involved, I was keen to read One Alone in the World (Richard and Maria #3) and see what the world would continue to do, with our erstwhile heroes, in this latest iteration. I was not disappointed. This was a continuation of the fascinating story crafted by a talented author in Sarah Stuart.
Richard and Maria, now married and with a young child, are managing the hotel left to them but things are tight financially, work is almost 24/7 and Maria wonders if their commitment to the business is causing her to be the sort of bad mother for their daughter Eleanor, that her mother was, for her. Richard, meanwhile, still dreams of the singing career that never quite happened and although he does get to sing in the bar of an evening, it isn't the same as being a singing superstar and Richard feels that lost opportunity keenly. Eleanor has an idea that she thinks will solve everyone's problems, if only she can discover who and where her maternal grandmother is. Everything is building towards a cataclysmic financial, emotional and familial disaster for our characters.
As with the first two books, the story is full of twists and turns as we watch Eleanor grow from a naive, young girl, in an equally naive, young woman. The author shows us clearly what happens when business or a career takes priority over family and how little things and small misunderstandings can be amplified to the point where they become crushing problems. Stuart always has something a little odd in her romances and One Alone in the World is certainly no exception. I was privileged to be able to satisfactorily conclude a story that I have been engrossed in since I read the first page of the first book in the series. Stuart has a conversational style of writing that sucks a reader in and allows them to quickly identify and empathise with her characters.
This is just a feel-good story that rounds off a fantastic series, or one that can indeed be read as a stand-alone novel. The author does a great job of filling in the backstory of the previous two books in the series, as we read along. I can highly recommend this for readers who like a bit of adventure and challenge in their romances.
Richard and Maria, now married and with a young child, are managing the hotel left to them but things are tight financially, work is almost 24/7 and Maria wonders if their commitment to the business is causing her to be the sort of bad mother for their daughter Eleanor, that her mother was, for her. Richard, meanwhile, still dreams of the singing career that never quite happened and although he does get to sing in the bar of an evening, it isn't the same as being a singing superstar and Richard feels that lost opportunity keenly. Eleanor has an idea that she thinks will solve everyone's problems, if only she can discover who and where her maternal grandmother is. Everything is building towards a cataclysmic financial, emotional and familial disaster for our characters.
As with the first two books, the story is full of twists and turns as we watch Eleanor grow from a naive, young girl, in an equally naive, young woman. The author shows us clearly what happens when business or a career takes priority over family and how little things and small misunderstandings can be amplified to the point where they become crushing problems. Stuart always has something a little odd in her romances and One Alone in the World is certainly no exception. I was privileged to be able to satisfactorily conclude a story that I have been engrossed in since I read the first page of the first book in the series. Stuart has a conversational style of writing that sucks a reader in and allows them to quickly identify and empathise with her characters.
This is just a feel-good story that rounds off a fantastic series, or one that can indeed be read as a stand-alone novel. The author does a great job of filling in the backstory of the previous two books in the series, as we read along. I can highly recommend this for readers who like a bit of adventure and challenge in their romances.
You can check out One Alone in the World and indeed all of Sarah Stuart's extensive portfolio, here on her Amazon page:
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