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I discovered the romance novels of Cathy Yardley this winter. And then I proceeded to make my way through most of her backlist in just a few weeks. Her contemporary romances have an ideal ratio of fun to emotion. Her characters have deep, interesting, and often twisty backstories. But they also have passions and a sense of humor that come alive on the page. And her banter—don’t get me started on how good Cathy Yardley writes banter. Her love stories are diverse, often geeky, and always passionate. Also, several of her novels feature middle-aged characters, which I love. Among her many wonderful romance novels, one of them stood out as my favorite (so far).
Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley
Willa is a widow and former cookbook ghostwriter. She moves to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest when she inherits a beautiful, but slightly decrepit, old house from her dead aunt. She’s hoping it will be the new start she needs to restart her career and life after years of caring for her husband. Hudson is her next door neighbor and handyman who agrees to help her fix up the house. He lives on a farm and has two young adult children, aging parents, and a whole brood of animals. He gave up a lot to raise his children as a single father. But now that they are starting to grow up, he’s hoping to invest more in his personal and professional passions.
These characters are so beautifully and fully drawn. And they aren’t just perfect for each other. It is the exact perfect time for them to meet. They both are so kind and generous with each other. The building blocks of their relationship are acts of service: they fall in love over Hudson helping renovate Willa’s house and Willa testing recipes for her cookbook on Hudson and his family.
Of course, there are obstacles, otherwise there wouldn’t really be any story. Hudson is torn between trying to become more of a contractor and pursuing his longtime love of clockmaking. Willa is unsure about her ability to support herself ghostwriting, and therefore she’s unsure if she can stay on the island. They have an escape artist dog, mischievous goats, a startled skunk, a difficult Instagram chef, surly young adult children, meddling parents and town busy-bodies, and more to overcome on the journey to their happy ending.
But like many great books, and all great romances, you root for both characters throughout the entire story.
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