DIGGING UP LOVE

A determinedly single small-town baker and a paleontologist recovering from heartbreak cross paths in highly unlikely circumstances, proving that love always finds a way.

Tucked away in a nondescript corner of rural Illinois with her grandparents, Alisha Blake yearns for the sights and sounds of urban life. Even as she helps her grandfather run their well-loved family-owned barbecue joint, she's secretly working toward opening her own bakery in Chicago. She finally builds up the nerve to tell her family about her plans, but she's forced to defer her announcement when a large dinosaur bone gets dug up in her grandparents’ backyard. Although the find throws a wrench in Alisha’s plans, it's a dream come true for Quentin Harris. He hopes that the bone will pave the path to academic prestige and finally vindicate his career choice in the eyes of his father. Quentin needs to focus on the dig, but his presence in Alisha's backyard unearths long-buried desires in both of them. Quentin, who was once jilted at the altar, is leery of committing to Alisha, and the talented baker is struggling to strike a balance between her family's needs and her own dreams. While Quentin's presence comforts and excites Alisha, the paleontologist’s sermons about her life choices often cut too close to the bone. To make their relationship work, both must quit digging in their heels and focus on rooting out old apprehensions and worries instead. Replete with instantly likable characters and relatable pop-culture references, Blumberg’s debut is warm, engaging, and emotionally honest. Alisha and Quentin’s gradual movement toward companionship hits all the right notes, and their interactions are both meaningful and fun. While the external obstacles and issues keeping them apart are quite real, their internal battles seem to reach too pat a resolution.    

A sweet romance that would have improved with a little more heat.