Where There’s Smoke is written with Karly Lane’s signature warmth, and while I didn’t entirely connect with the main characters, fans of the author will find this to be a lovely story of a connection rediscovered.
Kenzie Knight has built a successful life as a wedding planner, despite having her early plans thrown into disarray by an early curveball. The last five years have been tough but satisfying. Then one day, a routine meeting with a bride and groom upends her life again. She and the groom, Ewan, have a past.
Kenzie is faced with a dilemma: tell Ewan the result of their one-night stand, and risk ruining his relationship and her business. Or tell him, and watch lives explode.
Now I have to say that it was quite obvious, pretty much immediately, what Kenzie’s secret is. This is a familiar plot, and you’d have to be fairly dim not to spot it. However, Lane is a skilled writer and infuses the familiar plot with freshness and energy.
Very early on, Kenzie and Ewan both made decisions that left me unsympathetic towards them. I also found Kenzie surprisingly irresponsible as a business owner. Still, whether you like or dislike them, they’re real and grounded characters. Many readers will find them believable and sympathetic. And, the involvement of other people makes Kenzie and Ewan’s story relatively high stakes.
Lane writes with warmth and sympathy. Her long list of novels, such as Twist of Fate, deservedly, have a place in many readers’ hearts.
This book is well written, with strong characters and a vivid setting. It’s an easy read and an engaging one. Although this wasn’t the novel for me (sadly), it is one I think many readers will enjoy.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Where There’s Smoke by Karly Lane. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, and I love sharing that joy.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, across all genres. There’s not much I won’t at least try. I’ve been an enthusiastic book reviewer for years. I particularly enjoy discovering writers new to me, and sharing good writing with others.
My career has included time spent writing and editing technical documents, but it’s fiction that really moves me. I’ve reviewed for a number of different outlets over the years, and have been a judge in literary competitions.
I’m now raising little bookworms of my own, which brings a whole new kind of joy to sharing books.
More of my reviews can be found on my review blog www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog .
Where There’s Smoke by Karly Lane is a wonderful story of second chances which also showcases Australia.
It’s the story of Mackenzie Knight who is a wedding planner with her own business. She is meeting her latest client and her fiancé Ewan Campbell and realises there’s something familiar about him. When she realises he is a past partner she couldn’t contact from a passionate one night encounter – and they have a child, Poppy, he knows nothing about – she has a decision to make. Does she tell him and risk upending her life and business or try and get out of working for them. This is a well flowing story involving people you want things to work out for and the ups and downs they face as they navigate their new lives. They definitely have chemistry and this ebbs and flows really well. The side characters have their own strong personalities one way or the other and made me invested in them as well. I would love to see them in future stories. We were also hit with one or two curveballs which made everything all the more interesting.
I thoroughly recommend this rural romance, loving Karly’s previous books, and now waiting for another.