Book Spotlight Posted on September 9, 2023: https://travelingwitht.com/2023/09/09/book-spotlight-womens-fiction/

A sweet love story that is a reminder that love can be redemptive when we least expect it. Poppy is a show-stealer, a delightful young lady who draws in the reader.... you find yourself cheering for her dad because she is so precocious. The characters are well developed and this is an easy, light-hearted read. I had never read anything by this author and am now looking for more. Highly recommend!

I'm really sorry, I struggled with this one and it was unfortunately not for me. Thank you for the opportunity to review though.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

If I could sum up this book in just a few words: enchanting, human, heartbreaking, charming. Like Ms. Patrick's previous novels, you are engrossed by the characters who feel all too real and the lives they're living. The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is another masterful piece of writing from a brilliant author.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

You can always count on Phaedra Patrick to offer up a love story that restores your faith in humanity.

This one is about Mitchell Fisher, who quits his high-paying love after his wife's death so that he can take care of their daughter Poppy. Michael's current assignment is to remove the locks from a bridge before the opening of a brand new bridge in the city. One day he spots a woman placing a lock on the bridge and then jumping in to the river below. Without much thought, he jumps in after her and saves her life.

He doesn't know anything about her and is surprised to learn that he knows her estranged sister Liza. Together Liza, Michael and Poppy embark on a journey to find her.

this was a really good read, it was a feel good read and I liked the characters and the plot. Overall it was fun to read and I look forward to more from the author.

I am charmed beyond belief by this story and this writing. It is simple and sweet and a breath of fresh air. For a long while I didn't know where this story was going. Was it a romance? Was it a mystery? Truly, it was some of both. But what it really was was just darn enjoyable and easy and it made my heart happy. And I'm going to leave this quote here, because even if you don't read the book, you need to read this:

Love can be showy, or it can be quiet. It can be long lasting or it can brightly and fizzle out. It can bring families together or tear them apart. It can be welcome or unrequited. I've tried to think of it's definition and I think that true love is simply YOUR way of being together in a way that makes you both happy.

Insert happy little sigh!!!

Lived this book and the characters💞It was as charming as her debut title, the Charms of Arthur Pepper.

It only seems right that Mitchell Fisher finds himself responsible for cutting off all the locks placed on "love story" bridge since he has put all things romantic behind him. After losing his beloved partner Anita, Mitchell is focused on raising their daughter Poppy. He takes pride in keeping everything to a schedule and making their lives run smoothly. All that changes in an instant, when Mitchell makes eye contact with a woman wearing a yellow dress as she fastens a lock on the bridge, then unexpectedly jumps into the water. Mitchell doesn't have any time to think and simply jumps in to help her. This event sets up a chain reaction that ultimately pushes Mitchell outside of the confines of the life he has set up for himself and may begin to help him deal with the loss of his love Anita.

Mitchell Fisher is a character that worms his way into your heart. At times, I was so frustrated with how closed off he was and at other times, his heartbroken demeanor touched my heart. His daughter Poppy was a bright light in the story and I loved how her character was presented. It was a brilliant love story, with just the right amount of mystery and intrigue mixed in.

I received this book courtesy of Park Row through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Romance at its very best! What a book! I just loved The Secrets Of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick. Talk about an emotional, sweet, and engaging read. Seriously, this book was such a treat to read.

Mitchell is anti-romance. In fact, he has a job that shows just how anti-romance he is. He is the one who cuts off the padlocks that lovers lock on the "love story" bridge. Yep, he is happy man when he is cutting off those locks. His daughter, Poppy, believes that he's anti-romance because he's still grieving over her mom's death. Hmm...that does seem to have a ring of truth to it. And then, Mitchell's bad mood shifts when he makes a connection with a woman he rescues from the river. She fell from the "love story" bridge. The only problem is that he has no idea who she is. The woman has disappeared. The only clue she has left behind is on a padlock she put on the "love story" bridge. Sounds interesting, eh? Well, it is.

Patrick has written a delicious love story that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and fall in love. It is filled with all the feels and a bit of a mystery, which makes it so much fun to read. I found myself captivated from the start. And, I just loved getting to know these wonderful characters. What a terrific story! I would happily recommend The Secrets Of Love Story Bridge to fans of Phaedra Patrick and to anyone looking for their next great read - you will fall in love with this book!

One of the best stories I have read in awhile.. A widow and his daughter have their life mapped out, structured, everything in it's place. One day at work, Mitchell Fisher sees a young lady fall off the bridge where he is removing padlocks, and he falls into the river and pulls her to safety. Pulled along by the crowd, Mitchell returns to his work only to be taken out by a delivery boy. He ends up in the hospital, A local journalist wants to meet with him, he now he fans and lots of fan mail to sort through. Mitchell wants none of it. He gets his daughter from the music teacher, a kind woman named Liza and we see a gradual friendship begin. When the music teacher sees Mitchell on the news and the lady he's saved, Liza is convinced the woman is her missing sister. And so the intrigue begins. Mitchell's character is full of guilt and at a standstill in his life trying to grieve his late wife and finds that he is interested in his new friend as possibly something more. His daughter Poppy is a tenacious little gal and she keeps dad on his toes along this journey. This is a very nice, smoothly developing story that could happen anywhere. Mitchell learns to forgive himself and live again.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to preview.

This book was not what I expected. I actually thought it was going to be a historical fiction when I read the blurb, not a contemporary romance, but even worse for me, it turned out to really be women’s fiction. It’s like a warm summer breeze, warm and soft. The story is really about how a man overcomes the loss of his partner and daughter’s mother. He is terribly in love with her when she suddenly passes, and the rest of the book is about him realizing he isn’t able to live in the past, and he can’t make time stand still or take on guilt for the accident.

After she passes, he quits his upscale job for something with more stable hours so he can raise his young daughter. By doing this, he reverts to lists and schedules to keep them surviving but doesn’t realize all he’s doing is keeping them both from discovering there is still life out there and how to be a part of it. By happenstance, he creates a situation where he becomes the center of attention in his community and with a young lady that draws him out of his routines and shows him that life is going on with or without him.

When he starts to have feelings for Liza, he fights them because he feels he will betray Anita. Liza tries to show him that he can still have both, but like a man, he messes it up and just about loses her too. That’s when he really wakes up and makes changes in his life to live again and not be stuffed away in an attic apartment. His daughter is also more intuitive than I think she would be at age 10, and helps him realize she will always remember her mother but needs to move on also.

With all of that said, the characters are heartwarming if a little discombobulated. I never really did get a good feel for what any of them except Anita looked like. Also, I didn’t feel invested in this story and it was slow to read. There was a little action and that portion I breezed right through, but truly the whole story seemed almost as depressing as the top floor attic he lives in. There are a few prose in the book that were profound about recovering from death, but otherwise I’m not sure I will remember this one except for the fact I gave it a 3.5 which I rarely do. If you are into Women’s fiction and like unusual points of view, this one’s for you. If you are trying to figure out how to move on after a death, this one might help.

When I received an arc for The Secrets of Love Story Bridge, I was intrigued by the blurb. Although mysteries aren't my usual reads, I do enjoy them. However, after starting the story, I had some difficulty getting into the story. Maybe mostly because it had a sad beginning: Mitchell has lost his wife and is trying to raise their daughter on his own. But also, because Phaedra tries to unfold multiple storylines: of Mitchell and his life before his wife died, of Liza and her disappeared sister, of Poppy at school, the dating life of Mitchell's co-worker and the reading skills of the janitor of Mitchell's building. So, the start is sad and slowly and I found myself drifting off to books with a more happy story.
However, I kept returning to the book, because I really wanted to know if Mitchell and Liza would be able to find out where Liza's sister would be and what her story was. And once the story started flowing, it was easier to stick to the book. So, in all, a wonderful story, with some unexpected events and twists. Hang in there and enjoy! Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This book was a read that will definitely tug at the heartstrings. We follow Mitchell, who is still grieving after losing the woman he loved. He's cut himself off from really feeling emotions and his whole world is his job and his daughter. At the beginning of the book he's a bit cynical towards anything romance and can come off as a bit cold, but seeing his growth and transformation was really a wonderful journey.

I expected the plot with the mystery woman to be a bit different and while I still fully enjoyed the story it surprised me when it was taking different turns. If you're looking for a story of warmth and learning to deal with grief and let go of self imposed guilt, then this is a good one for it.

Special thanks to Harlequin for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

This is a great story with a bit of romance and a bit of mystery. It's definitely a heartwarming & feel-hood type of novel. Honestly. this is one I know my mom would love. It's a narrative you just go with.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Mitchell Fisher is raising his daughter by himself after his wife died years ago. He works for the city council and cuts off the locks that people hang on bridges in his town to represent their love. One day when he’s leaving work, he sees a woman attach a lock to the bridge, then fall into the river below. Mitchell jumps in after her to rescue her, but they get separated after he rescues her, and he never learns her name. His daughter’s teacher sees an article about the rescue, and recognizes the woman he rescued as her missing sister. Mitchell and Liza, the sister of the missing woman, search for clues to find the woman, unraveling many secrets along the way.

I loved the premise for this book. It had so much mystery surrounding the woman’s disappearance. There were only a few clues that were left behind so it was difficult for her family to figure out what happened.

I liked seeing so much emotion in the character of Mitchell. He’s had a difficult time since his wife died, and he is constantly blaming himself. He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions, which made him appear stronger in my opinion. I haven’t seen many male characters like that, especially in women’s fiction.

I didn’t really like the explanation behind the woman’s disappearance. I can’t say too much about the ending without giving it away. There was so much tension leading up to it, but I didn’t feel that same tension in the reason that she disappeared. The genre of the book played into this kind of ending. Since it was a lighter story, not a gritty thriller, it had a more positive ending.

This is a great summer story.

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this charming book! Mitchell is busy trying to maintain a life for himself and his daughter, Poppy, after the death of his wife. He left his job as an engineer to spend more time with Poppy and now works on the city’s bridges cutting off love locks left on them. His life is turned upside when he becomes a local hero after saving a woman who has fallen into the river. From there his quiet life becomes very busy with all the new people it has brought into his and Poppy’s world. The secondary characters are wonderful but I really loved the characters of Mitchell and Poppy and their relationship. This is a lovely character driven novel that is heartwarming to read. I enjoyed seeing the personal growth of the characters and the element of mystery was very intriguing. A very enchanting story overall.

The Secrets of Love Story Bride had me at the cover and description. I love the locks on bridges and we have such a bridge not far from us. We actually placed a lock on the bridge for my late mother in law on the first mother's day after her passing. I stand and imagine the story behind each lock. That is what drew me to this book, but what held me and captivated me was this well written story with characters I was invested in and a story that had every emotion. I live everything about this book from the first word to the last. Grab this book and clear a few hours from your schedule. You will savor each word. Thanks net galley for the arc, my review is just my opinion.

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick oozed sweetness, charm, and a little mystery. 

The story revolves around Mitchell who is a widower and has his daughter Poppy. Mitchell is against anything involving love. He works on the bridges cutting locks off, that lovers hook on to them. Poppy is a bright and happy girl who sees the best in her father, even when others fail to see it. 

Mitchell is cutting locks off when he sees a woman in a yellow dress fall off a bridge. He jumps in to save her. He does, but he fails to get her name. He finds out that the lady that he saved is the sister of Poppy’s music teacher, and the lady in the yellow dress has been missing for a year. This is the story of his search to find out about the woman in the yellow dress that he felt an instant connection with. While the story is beautiful, the characters are what really make this story memorable. The friendship between Mitchell and Liza (the music teacher) is phenomenal. 

These lock bridges have always fascinated me because I like to wonder about each of the people that placed a lock and their stories. I love that Patrick wrote a novel surrounding this mystery. I think this sweet romance would be perfect for book clubs as well. 

I received an advanced reader copy from Harlequin. All opinions are 100% my own.

I loved this quirky, sweet novel. It's charming and delightful!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.