How To Knit A Love Song – Review

How To Knit A Love Song (Cypress Hollow Yarn #1)
by Rachael Herron

Publication date: 31 January 2006 by William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN 10/13: 0061841293 | 9780061841293

Abigail is more than ready for a change when she inherits a cottage from her beloved mentor, knitting guru Eliza Carpenter. Leaving the oppressive city for the greener pastures of a small California beach town, she intends to turn her cozy little windfall into a knitting shop and spend her days spinning, designing, and purling. But she’s not going to be welcomed with open arms by her new neighbor. Eliza’s disgruntled nephew, the gorgeous Cade, now owns everything surrounding Abigail’s ramshackle new home, and he views this sexy city girl as an unwanted interloper.

But chemistry working overtime is drawing two very different people closer than they ever thought possible. And when the past that Abigail thought she’d left behind comes calling, she’ll have to somehow learn to trust her handsome adversary with much more than just her heart.

Thuy’s review:

I was already familiar with Rachael Herron’s blog Yarnagogo when I heard about this book. As an avid knitter, I am generally wary of “knit lit,” as the stories can be cheesy and the knitting aspect often seems forced and obtrusive to the main story line. But, as a fan of Herron’s blog, I decided to give her book a chance.

Abigail moves to the small Norther California town of Cypress Hollow when her friend and mentor, Eliza, passes away. Eliza’s left her a little cottage and Abigail, itching for a new start, jumps at the chance to have a place of her own and clean slate. Unfortunately she doesn’t realize that the cottage is set on a ranch – one that’s already owned by Eliza’s handsome nephew Cade. And Cade is not happy about having a permanent tenant in the middle of his land. At first Cade thinks that Abigail is a city girl and an interloper looking to take over his land. But Cade didn’t count on the attraction between he and Abigail and finds it harder and harder to resist her. I loved the antagonistic relationship that Cade and Abigail first have. Lots of fighting and near romantic misses keep the sexual tension high.

How To Knit a Love Song is a sweet and sexy romance. There’s a little bit of a suspense element, though that was probably the weakest part of the book. The book’s strength lies in the setting and the characters. Abigail and Cade are a great couple and are both well developed and likable. I found Abigail’s optimistic attitude to be the perfect foil to Cade’s gruff cowboy. A fun cast of secondary characters rounds out the story well. Janet is outrageous and funny and I enjoyed Herron’s descriptions of the farm and life in a small town. Cypress Hollow is a picturesque setting which I could easily imagine. By the end of the book I felt like I knew the town and its people. There are a lot of knitting references – Abigail is an avid knitter and she ends up opening a yarn store. It’s clear that Herron is a knitter and that she knows her stuff. However, the knitting references are not heavy handed and non-knitters will still be able to enjoy this story.

Cowboys, romance, and knitting? What more could you ask for? Highly recommended.