Judith’s review of Pure Bliss (Nights in Bliss #6) by Sophie Oak
Bliss, Colorado, gave Hope McLean a second chance at life, but she’s hiding a dark secret.
Raised as brothers, James Glen and Noah Bennett always dreamed of finding a woman to share their lives on the Circle G ranch. James would run the ranch, while Noah served the town of Bliss as the resident vet. But when a woman came between the brothers, Noah fled for New York City and James was left to struggle for the ranch’s survival alone.
Now that Noah has returned, he will do anything to repay his debt to James. When he sees Hope, he knows she is the woman they both have been waiting for. But just as their love begins to bloom, a nightmare from Hope’s past returns to claim her. To save Hope, and themselves, they will have to reclaim the brotherhood that was shattered and fight for their future.
I LOVE Bliss, Colorado, as the home of a collection of individuals who stretch the credibility of most of us as they live out lives that are truly out of step with society in myriad ways. Yet the greatest thing about this little community is that no matter how “out there” a person may be, everyone else not only accepts them with all their idiosyncrasies but respects them as valid and valuable as a part of the whole. What a great place, and it’s too bad that it only exists in fiction. On the other hand, I’m glad Sophie Oak has brought this fictional community into being and that her stories, often based in the different perspective of a character, still works to tell us of the triumph of respect and friendship, family and love.
There is no doubt that James Glen, like everyone else in Bliss, is hurting and wounded. He has chosen to work out his anger and sense of loss over the leaving of his soul-brother five years earlier by working himself to the bone and banging every female who willingly accepts his brief attentions. Noah Bennet, too, is wounded deeply and wonders if he and James will ever be able to retrieve the close friendship and brotherhood that sustained and blessed their early years together, until a greedy and lying woman came between them and not only robbed Noah of his inheritance but robbed them both of that sense of family they both cherished.
Now they are both zeroing in on Hope McLean, a woman to whom both are drawn but who is thinking of leaving Bliss rather than own up to a past that drove her into the bottle and into destructive sexual encounters. Curiously, with a name like Hope, she is really feeling hopeless, and it is only as Noah and James begin to show her their attraction that she even entertains the possibility of a future that is free of her inner demons.
This is really a book about honesty and trust, about forgiveness and redemption and the reclamation of a life that has meaning and joy. All three of the main characters are struggling to keep some sort of balance because all three are so very in need of the connection that can only come with honesty, trust, and forgiveness. And most of all, this story is about three people who need to forgive themselves before they can forgive each other in a meaningful way. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” the Good Book says, and that directive is at the heart of this story.
But spicing up a serious and deeply moving love story is the wit and winsome craziness for which Bliss is known. Mel with his obsession with aliens, Nell and Henry with their insistence on minimizing the human/carbon footprint, Nate, Zane and Callie–all of whom most people would consider “normal” and who have come to love and appreciate all this craziness, the doctor, the Russian and their lady, all of whom have learned how to manage deep dedication to one another as they discover the never-ending depths of mutual loving–all these people manage to bring comedic overtones to this novel and the reader will NOT be able to read this book with a straight face. James and Noah manage some hilarity of their own–I am sure they didn’t intend it to be hilarious, but for the reader it is absolutely hysterical. What could be better? It’s a book that will bring joy and charm into the reading experience along with lots of hot loving. I had a sense of urgency that these three main characters find a way past all the past pain and their deep-seated sense of betrayal. There were times I worried that they weren’t going to find a way past all the bad stuff. Yet finding their HEA was not without challenge for them and surprises for the reader.
For those who have come to enjoy Ms Oak’s writing, Pure Bliss will be just another “forever favorite.” For readers who are new to this author, this is a great book. Yes, the characters are from previous novels, but it is a stand alone book in every respect and I think a new reader will just want to go back and read the previous books in the series.
I give it a rating of 5 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Siren Publishing. You can buy it here in e-format.
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