Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson

Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson is touted as contemporary romance but it isn't the typical contemporary romance novel. However, there are a lot of contemporary components to this book.

Mr. George Emerson is a buttoned-up English teacher who is in the process of retiring from teaching and struggles with change. He is also a confirmed bachelor.

Willow West is a fun-loving artist and grandmother who enjoys life. She also owns and operates her own art gallery.

When George and Willow meet, Willow finds George fairly stuffy and George finds Willow to be a bit wild. In spite of their differences, Willow encourages George to try new things but he also struggles with his attraction to her. He really wants to make new friends but it hurts too much to loose them so he doesn't seem to know what to do. Will George and Willow be able to work a relationship out?

I started off reading Courting Mr. Emerson and enjoying the story. It seemed like a light read, which I was in the mood for. Then, as the story progressed, Willow's daughter and grandson become more of a focus in the plot--along with a lot of their drama. That part of the story wasn't light or relaxing to read. Honestly, I found the whole story to be fairly melancholy. George is referenced in one place as being a bit like Eeyore and I would agree. He also has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but with his sadness, he also seems depressed to me. I would have enjoyed seeing more good times as a focus between Willow and George instead of mostly challenges and drama. However, I personally liked that Carlson wrote a story about a middle-aged couple as I don't see a lot of Christian fiction books about people in that age range. The ending also seemed rather abrupt although George did make a lot of changes and that was good. I just wish the book had been more upbeat in tone. I think Carlson is an excellent writer but Courting Mr. Emerson isn't my favorite of hers.If you give it a try, you might feel differently.

I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.