Second First Impressions: A Novel

Recipe for a Sweet and Funny Romance

1 dowdy-looking 25yo retirement village Activities Director (AD) with a tendency to OCD (labels, locks, lists, routine), inordinately devoted to her residents

1 pretty 22yo half-Japanese office temp with passion for match-making

2 sisters: 1 loud and demanding 91yo former fashion editor who revels in the demoralisation of (preferably male) personal assistants; 1 reserved and resigned 89yo former lawyer

Place all in a luxury retirement village. Put the AD into acting management position. Add in:

1 wealthy real estate developer, recent purchaser of said retirement village, (philosophy: Life is Change) determined to push his son into responsibility

1 drop-dead gorgeous 27yo raven-haired motorcycle-riding itinerant tattoo artist with commitment issues, needing accommodation and employment.

Pass the developer through the scene then set aside for later. Slot the tattoo artist into the empty half of a duplex occupied by the AD, and give him to the old ladies to play with. Mix well, then add:

1 clerk at a local thrift store saving suitable garments for his crush, the AD

1 older half-sister of tattoo artist, determined to climb daddy's corporate ladder.

Season to taste with: concern for the future of the village residents, thwarted aspirations to veterinary medicine, endangered turtles, unsupportive moralistic parents, dismissive family, an enthusiastic makeover/dating plan, a shared fervour for a churchy TV soap, a nine-year man-drought and an unrealised tattoo studio dream.

Stir in a generous pinch of dazzle power and a good dollop of sexual attraction, then simmer until love crystallises.

Second First Impressions is the third novel by Australian author, Sally Thorne. Does her recipe work? It does. It's no spoiler to reveal that Truthful Ruth the Reverend's Daughter does eventually find love with Theodore Prescott: hazel eyes, little-kid freckles across the bridge of his nose and a waterfall of long black hair. Those in the mood to swoon a little will enjoy this light-hearted romance.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hachette Australia.