Review: Until Next Time by Claudia Burgoa

Rating: 4/5 Against All Odds (#4): The St. James Family Book 1 I have been reading Claudia’s books for years and one of the things I have loved is the way she interweaves the characters of other series with those in the current. So, although this is the first in the St. James Family, it is the fourth of the Against All Odds series. The first book in the Against All Odds series had a You Got Mail feel with Persephone and Ford. (Two characters that I was so happy to see again in this book.) And similarly, Until Next Time, has a Sleepless in Seattle inspiration. I mean Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks set our expectations high, so they make great muses. Immediately, we learn that Zachary St. James’ wife of six months, Calliope Brassard, has died. As a mode of coping, Zach becomes close with the Brassard family and throws himself into work. Meanwhile, Autumn Wickerton is trying to deal with her own grief of losing a significant other while going to school, working multiple jobs, and raising a daughter. I enjoyed how the first portion of the book gave us views of Zach and Autumn independently. In fact, the main characters do not even speak directly until chapter 10. If you know Sleepless in Seattle, you can probably roughly outline the rest of the book. Matilda, Autumn’s daughter, is a driving force in the plot and so adorable. I felt her character had a good balance of being strongly involved in the storyline without taking over the romance. By introducing the main characters separately, the reader is provided with a good understanding of their personalities. This creates a more believable affect to their fast falling but cautious relationship. Autumn wants to keep it underwraps to protect her daughter, Matilda. In reality both Zach and Autumn are terrified of losing something they feel is underserved. But, ultimately what could tear them apart brings them together. I really appreciated that the predictable plot was not the one that Burgoa chose. The characters had to face and conquer their fears or risk losing everything that had become important to them. And I respect that the characters do finally realize that they need to deal with their individual traumas in therapy (everyone should) so they can move forward as a family. Overall, this is a great story with a familiar feel. Even with the obvious parallels the story is original and sets up the anticipation for more of the St. James family. I am hoping we see more of Zach, Autumn, and Matilda in the coming books.