Marrying Daisy Bellamy (Lakeshore Chronicles)

Marrying Daisy Bellamy
by Susan Wiggs
Release Date:  January 25, 2011
Publisher:  MIRA
Book #8 in the Lakeshore Chronicles series
Number of pages:  432
Kindle Edition
Source: MCL
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating: R
Read 5/6/19 to 5/7/19

 

Daisy Bellamy has struggled for years to choose between two men—one honorable and steady, one wild and untethered. And then, one fateful day, the decision is made for her.

Now busy with a thriving business on Willow Lake, Daisy knows she should be happy with the life she’s chosen for herself and her son. But she still aches for the one thing she can’t have.

Until the man once lost to her reappears, resurrected by a promise of love. And now the choice Daisy thought was behind her is the hardest one she’ll ever face.

This was one of the hardest books I have ever read.  By turns I wanted to hurry and see what would happen next, and slow down because I feared what would happen next.  I am not and have never been that reader that peeks at the last few pages of a book to see how things work out.  This story really tested me, though. 

First, I have to say that if you haven’t read the rest of this series you really should.  I think the chemistry and connection between Daisy and Julian will still comes through; there’s enough in flashback that you will still enjoy this story.  But Daisy’s journey from a sad, lonely, rebellious teenager to a young adult doing the single parent thing with a good job and college degree is worth reading from the beginning.  The way Susan Wiggs weaves Daisy’s story into the other books in this series is masterful.  She always gave me just enough to keep me wanting more.

I wasn’t a fan of Logan, the father of Daisy’s son, when he was first introduced into this series.  But if I’m honest with myself, Logan really did turn himself around.  He’s not a bad guy at all.  Yet I cannot abide Daisy ever choosing him over Julian.  While I always understood Daisy’s confusion, she’s really a young lady that just wants to do what is right for her son, anyone could see Daisy would never be happy with anyone but Julian.

There’s not a lot that can be said about this story without giving spoilers, so I won’t go into too much detail.  Some of the events that happen the reader can see coming a mile away.  It’s all about how the characters are going to react to the events that had my stomach in knots. My emotions ran the gamut in this book.  Joy, rage, contentment, and sorrow.  Along with the knots in my stomach, there were butterflies in there too.  I was 100% invested in Daisy’s life throughout this whole story and didn’t want to put it down.  Yet I had to put it down because of the trepidation I was feeling in many parts.

I’m sure I’m not alone in having a very specific idea in mind for how I wanted the Daisy/Julian story to play out.  This story just didn’t want to follow the path I wanted it to take.  As much as the perfect fairy tale would have been amazing for this couple, it would have made for a very short story.  This author took me on such an emotional journey with this one and I’ll never forget this book. 

5 stars