My Review of Love Finds You in Pendleton, Oregon

Here's the description of the book from Amazon.com:
"Native American beauty Sunny Westcott is not one to let her hair down. But her friend Aubrey manages to drag her to Pendleton, Oregon, and the pair arrives just as the hundredth annual Pendleton Round-Up begins. Sunny is surprised by how much she enjoys watching the rodeo, riding horseback, and getting to know Aubrey’s family—particularly a handsome cowboy named Cody. Pendleton is also home to the Umatilla reservation where Sunny’s ancestors once lived, and the trip gives her the chance to do some digging into her family’s history—a topic she knows next to nothing about. But will Sunny like what she finds? And how will skeletons from the past compete with the current drama unfolding in Cody’s own family?"

My Rating: Fall/Spring

My Review:
The aspect I enjoyed most about this book was its description of Pendleton--the imagery, history, and the information about the Pendleton Round-Up. It was a lot of fun getting to learn about this place, and I appreciate Carlson's knowledge of Pendleton! Going with the characters to some hole-in-the-wall places, learning about the museums and restaurants, and learning about the Umatilla reservation was all very interesting!

For a "Love Finds You" book, the focus seemed to be mainly on the character's search to learn more about her heritage, rather than any romance. That part didn't really develop much until the end of the story, where it all came rather quickly (and a bit unbelievably) together. But I think for the most part, many of the characters felt real and acted like people do in real life.

However, I think the spiritual aspects of the book were down-played a bit. That is to say, it felt kind of like the prayer and mentions of God were just kind of "thrown in" there occasionally.

All in all, this book is well-written, and a fun escape to a small town with some great attractions. The story is an interesting look into one person's heritage, and I appreciated that part of the story. I would recommend it for all those looking for the "fun escape" I mentioned. I'm just not sure I would recommend it as a deep, insightful romance story.