<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32072907-where-the-light-glows" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Where the Light Glows" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485969676m/32072907.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32072907-where-the-light-glows">Where the Light Glows</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15816867.Dena_Blake">Dena Blake</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1978508583">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review. No synopsis needed. Mel and Izzy are main characters in this romance with angst. At times the storyline seemed a tad slow with dashes of drama thrown in. Eventually everything gelled, however, I feel there were a few supporting characters that could've been fleshed out to further enhance the book. All in all, Ms. Blake has written a good debut novel and I look forward to more from her.
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This book has got me quite confused and annoyed. Both with Mel and Izzy's behaviour. Which one is the experienced lesbian? Then with some other parts of the story. What is with Angie? And with Rick? I can understand Jack's reactions and are logic somehow. Nancy acts strangely most of the time. And what is with the rest of their families? Both fathers are odd. Both mothers seems to switch places at the end. And Dana? What a disturbing character (that suddenly dissapears). Also the pace of the narration is slow and unnerving. It has bothered me in a lot of parts that yes but no but one step forward then ten steeps back and so on. Sorry, but I am not overly keen with this book.

So this book started off well for me. I liked the characters thought the story was interesting and had me pulled in from the start. As the book continued I found the star rating slowly started to drop in my mind. I am all for some angst but this is one of those books that is all about the drama and angst with the characters second. I just found it all too over the top with a crazy ex and just found both characters acting out for the sake of adding drama and angst. I was getting towards the end of the book and just found myself rolling my eyes at some of the stuff both characters we doing. Mel started to annoy me after a while where I felt she had double standards.

So this is a funny one for me where I started off really liking it but by 70% I found myself ready for it to end. If you love lots of drama and angst then this is definitely the book for you. However if you are like me and prefer some drama and angst but to have the characters being adults and level headed then you may find it too much like I did.

3.5 stars

This is a wonderful debut novel, well written and edited. It's told from both main characters point-of-views which allows the reader to really get to know them. Although, with that said, I felt I knew Mel slightly better than Izzy.

I liked that the restaurant was a family business. The story gave just enough page-time to the topic without overwhelming the reader with culinary jargon.

The romance is a long, slow burn, and just when I thought these two had it sorted, the obligatory 'now lets see what we can put them through before they HEA' set in. Their time apart went on a little too long for my liking. However, readers who love a lot of angst are bound to lap it up.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley

Food, wine, coffee and women. Mix in ex-partners, misunderstandings, heartache, family and a very slow burn romance, and you have a beautiful and entertaining story. Enjoyed Issy's interaction with her mother Bella. Mel Thomas is successful, confident, stylish, and dissatisfied with her life at home. Isabel Calabrese is a player who may be looking for the one. This is a read where secondary characters play an important role in shaping the story. Her sister Angie was quite the intriguing supportive character with her sharp attitude and care for her sister. I also enjoyed the dynamics between Mel and her mother Cecelia. There are some wonderful self talk lines for Mel and Izzy as well as between the main characters. If you like slow burn romance; between two likeable characters, this is the story for you.

From first time author, Dena Blake, Where the Light Glows is a sure winner. The first thing to love about this book is its length. At just shy of 5000 words, the end doesn't come too soon nor does it seem to go on forever.
Izzy and Mel are two very different people and their meeting is surprising at the very least. Izzy has taken over as head chef of her mother’s Italian restaurant while Mel is a frequent diner who loves their Bolognese sauce. 
Add in a great of supporting characters from respective mothers (who give great advice), siblings who bicker and love equally, a best friend and a conniving ex, the stage is set for an interesting read. 

I’m not giving away spoilers here, but just pick it up and read it. Its the best books I’ve read this month so far (I read a new book everyday) and I’m going to go back and reread it. 

The characters are multi-layered, their individual businesses interesting with enough details thrown in to seem realistic. I look forward to reading the next one and I wouldn't mind a collection in a couple of years that give us short stories or second Epilogues on Izzy and Mel.