Carol Moncado

The only man pragmatic Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six year old. Widowed two years ago, Lilly leaves the shelter of her intrusive in-laws’ home to stand on her own and provide for her young son by working for the summer as a cook at Lake Manawa. However, her in-laws find that life utterly unsuitable for their grandson, and when a row ensues, a handsome stranger–who designs roller coasters, of all things–intercedes on her behalf. Still, Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky (though charismatic) gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life.

Filled with delightful characters and the romance of summer, The Ride of Her Life is another supremely entertaining story from the witty Lorna Seilstad. Readers will laugh out loud and sigh contentedly as they spend the summer of 1906 in Lake Manawa.

This is the third in Lorna’s Lake Manawa Summers series. I won the first one off Casey Herringshaw’s blog [it’s how I first met the lovely Casey :)]. The second I won somewhere else though I forget where. This one, I volunteered to influence for. [At least in part because then I’d have to make time to read the second one which kept getting pushed further down the to read list by other review/influence books ;)].

Lilly Hart is a widow with a six-year-old boy. And rich former in-laws who think it’s their responsibility to raise the boy “right”. Their right and Lilly’s right are very different.

She takes Levi and strikes out on her own – as a cook at a diner serving the crew building the new roller coaster.

And the head of that crew is Nick Perrin. Too handsome for her own good and taking an interest in both her and Levi. The interest is mutual. At least on Levi’s part. Lilly tries harder to deny the attraction, feeling it’s disloyal to her late husband’s memory.

The characters from the first two books are back and as full of life as ever. It’s wonderful to see the happily ever afters being played out by the couples from Making Waves and A Great Catch. The new characters are priceless – especially Eugenia.

A lesson in learning to trust – and love – again is one that bears repeating and Seilstad does so in a wonderfully entertaining style.

Though this brings the Lake Manawa Summers series to a close, I’ll be looking forward to more books by this lady.

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars