Author: Jiffy Kate
Genre: Romance
Published on: June 1, 2012, self-published (first edition)
Sheridan “Dani” Reed is a recently unemployed photojournalist living in New York City. Her boyfriend is vacationing without her, and her best friend has abandoned her for a job in the south.
Is a quarter-life crisis a thing?
After accepting a freelance job in Louisiana for Southern Style magazine, she feels the bleakness of her life back in New York fading in the rearview mirror. Getting back to her southern roots seems to be just what she needs to lift her spirits and spark her creativity. During her stay, she meets playboy Micah Landry and his colorful family. She knows she should avoid him and keep things professional, but his southern charms are hard to resist.
Through the lens of her camera, she finds the beauty and soul of the Landry Plantation, but it’s her beauty and soul that capture Micah’s attention.
When an unexpected phone call takes her back to New York, she’s forced to face the life she was trying to escape head on.
Will her trip and the Landrys only become fond memories, or will Dani find her way back to them and her beloved south?
In their debut novel, Jiffy Kate bring you a story of love, adventure, and finding a place to call home.
Coming-of-age and finding-yourself types of stories are among my favorites. They make for rich, compelling character arcs. This is the case for Sheridan “Dani” Reed, the protagonist of Finding Focus. She’s a New York photojournalist who’s been feeling stuck for a while. Dani has had “artist’s block”, for lack of a better term. Don’t get her wrong, Dani loves photography. She’s simply lost her inspiration. After months of dealing with this block, Dani got fired. Her boyfriend, Graham Harrison, was not pleased about it.
Dani has also been feeling sort of lost. Her feelings for Graham are waning. Dani loves him, but their relationship has been anything but passionate or intense lately. Also, Dani’s best friend Piper Grey moved south for work. The last straw comes when Graham decides to go on a trip by himself. He claims to need some “me-time”. Dani is incredulous. She’s not thrilled that her boyfriend of four years wants to travel without her. It’s not a dudes’ trip, so this speaks a lot about the state of Dani’s and Graham’s relationship.
To Dani’s relief, she gets a huge opportunity thanks to Piper. Southern Style, the magazine where Piper works, has a freelance job offer for Dani. It involves photographing a plantation in Louisiana for a feature in the magazine. Dani doesn’t think twice about taking the job. She flies to French Settlement right away. Once there, Dani goes to the plantation to introduce herself to its owners, the Landry family. They’re one of the wealthiest and most well-known families in town. The matriarch, Annie Landry, is a very pleasant and welcoming woman. She treats Dani like a good friend and tells her she’s welcome to anything she needs.
Right from the start, Dani loves her assignment. She finds the plantation beautiful and enjoys photographing it. Dani also meets the rest of the Landrys. That’s when the second protagonist shows up. He’s Micah, the middle child of the Landry brothers. Dani’s introduction to him is rather awkward. Micah’s the first Landry she saw, though she didn’t know who he was. Micah is a ladies’ man and he was…entertaining a girl before Dani saw him. This was an interesting first meeting, for sure.
Micah is quite fond of Dani after they’re properly introduced. He finds it an honor to show Dani around the plantation. Micah’s older brother, Deacon, also likes Dani from the moment they meet. Note that Deacon and Dani aren’t romantic toward each other. Their relationship is more friendly, almost sibling-like. As for Micah, he definitely likes Dani as a woman before he even knows it. The love Dani shows for her job endears her to him. Dani has a boyfriend waiting back home, unfortunately, so she and Micah can’t fall for each other.
Micah and Deacon co-own a restaurant they called Pockets. It’s a laid-back establishment with only one item on the menu: pockets. They come in several varieties, though. Pockets are like closed bread sandwiches with various kinds of fillings, like meat. The restaurant also serves dessert pockets. Dani is head over heels about the restaurant when Micah takes her there. She realizes Micah and Deacon love restaurant work as much as she loves photography. Their passion is obvious.
I enjoyed reading Finding Focus very much. It’s one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read. This book was so good it was hard to believe it’s a debut novel. The characters are charming, lively, and memorable. Sheridan Reed is a great heroine with a solid character arc. She finds herself over the course of the book. Dani’s name is cool, but I wonder if the author came up with it by themselves. I warn you, do not Google Sheridan Reed. Let’s just say this book’s heroine is the only Sheridan Reed I like. As for Micah Landry, he’s a southern gentleman, if a bit of a ladies’ man. He’s gained quite the playboy reputation over the years. Meeting Dani inspires Micah to change his ways. His character arc is just as rich as hers. I also liked Piper Grey, even though she hardly appeared in person. She intrigued me enough that I’d like to read a book focused on her. No pun intended, and fingers crossed.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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