Not Always Happenstance by Rachael Anderson
Lani has lived in Hana, Hawaii for five years. She’s learned to surf, fish, dive, and manage her grandmother’s bed and breakfast. She’s also learned to take one day at a time the way it should be taken—relaxed and unrushed, savoring every moment.
But, like a large wave on the brink of breaking, her life is about to crash out of control. A proposal of marriage, a conniving grandmother, a cryptic Asian woman, and a handsome guest, and suddenly everything calm begins to churn, everything clear becomes confused, and all that was normal segues into peculiar.
As Lani struggles against the current to hold her ground, she realizes that she can either continue to fight and eventually lose, or take a leap of faith, hold her breath, and ride the wave wherever it takes her.
***This book is part of the Power of the Matchmaker series that features one recurring character—the match maker—but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***
Review
This book was a great read, and the ideal distraction right now. Life has been extremely hectic, and I needed a book to get clear my head and go to a fun place and get caught up in a good story. This was just that read.
This is book 2 in the Matchmaker Series, and shame on me for not getting these reviews out in order! I’ll get cracking on book 1 next week.
Anyways, this book is written by Rachael Anderson. I have read almost all of her books, and enjoys them all immensely. This one was no different J
Not always Happenstance takes us to Hana, and we get to meet Lokelani and Easton. These two are both in very different places in life. She is very sure about where she is headed being almost engaged to her boyfriend of nine years, and he is a very no strings attached kind of guy.
With a little help of Miss Pearl, they develop a friendship, and possibly a little more.
I loved getting to know the deeper layers of these characters. Lani (short for Lokelani) thinks she knows what she wants, and is afraid to face something so unsure as Easton. Yet she is strong-willed and eager to set him straight when the opportunity calls for it.
Easton has never opened up to a woman before, and must now decide if he will do just that. Also he must face the possibility that the one woman he opens up to might crush him in the end.
This book caught my attention from the first page, and I lost a night’s sleep finishing it, with no regrets for the sleep-deprived state it left me in. I love the great flow of the book, the depth of the main and supporting characters, and the rich beauty of Hana you discover while reading this book. Makes me want to get on a plane and go there.
One of my favourite quotes that probably sums up the whole idea of this tale is found early on in the book. It’s Puna giving Lani this sound piece of advice, which I think is applicable to all of us: “You need a man who’s as strong-minded as you. Someone who challenges your views, makes you change some of them and keeps you holding fast to others. Someone who makes your heart soar.”
Once again the Matchmaker knows exactly what she is doing, and makes a match that takes a little time, some faith in each other, and eventually gives you a love that will last forever.
Author Rachael Anderson
A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.
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