A Second Chance at Love

Once an architect working long hours to design Love Story Bridge, Mitchel now spends his days as a maintenance man cutting off the padlocks hung by lovers on the bridge to symbolize their devotion. Mitchel no longer believes in love. His dearly loved wife died while he was working so hard. He quit as an architect and took the maintenance job to take care of his daughter Poppy.

One hot day while cutting padlocks off the bridge, Mitchel spots a woman falling from the bridge. He leaps in and rescues her, but she disappears. Mitchel becomes a hero for the rescue. He discovers that the woman is the sister of Lisa, his daughter’s music teacher. Lisa tells him her sister has been missing for over a year and together they begin the search for her.

I loved the characters in this story. Mitchel started as a grump with a tightly regimented life. Getting to know the lively Lisa changed all that. However, my favorite character is Poppy. She’s a delightful child and to me makes the story come alive. The story was a fun read, perfect to curl up with and forget the world’s problems.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Thank you so much for the copy. I tried to pick this one up but it did not work for me. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Full disclosure, I am not one who usually goes for a romance book. I usually like thrillers, mystery, and drama. However, I was extremely happy to get a copy of this one. I won't bore you with another synopsis but suffice to say that I really enjoyed the story and the characters in this. They were written simply, but with depth, too. It's not every day I read a book where characters seem real to me, but these did.

I also thought that the premise was pretty original. The author wrote well and allowed me to imagine the scenery and the characters without too much description. I have never been overseas, but I have seen the padlocks fastened all along the Brooklyn Bridge when I have visited New York City. I like the idea, but I know the stress they put on a bridge. The author addresses this issue in the story. So, while in some cases, this may seem like a run of the mill romance at first glance, don't be fooled. There's romance, yes, but also a hint of mystery, and also how people come to terms with, loss, sadness and uncertainty in this life.
My thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own and no review was required.

A staid, overly-organized, lonely single dad’s prosaic life is turned topsy-turvy when a woman falls from a bridge and he leaps into the river and saves her. The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is the latest from an author who is steadily becoming an auto-buy for me as I linger over the taste the multi-flavored story she just served up.

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge introduces yet another whimsical, engaging character from this author who can make dull and average turn into something effervescent after a steady journey of the heart that is rarely taken alone. Mitchell Fisher, the average joe with secret heartache, regrets, and loneliness is accompanied on his journey by his loving, but intrepid nine-year-old daughter, Poppy who just wants to see her dad happy- oh and get a chance to play and go off her dad’s well-ordered schedule for their lives, her bright and sparkling music teacher, Liza, who has a mysterious connection to the woman in yellow he rescued and makes him feel something uneasy, but exciting whenever he’s near her, his relationship-addled work buddy Bart, his ‘I’ll help you bury the bodies’ child-hood best friend, Graham, and the charming origami-making doorkeeper at his flat.

There are several threads woven together in this story that Mitchell narrates. There is his life journey to finding himself and what makes him happy, the mystery of Liza’s sister’s disappearance, the secret inside the last letter Poppy’s mother wrote to Mitchell before she died, and the many stories inside the Love Story Bridge letters and padlocks.

A few excitement blips occurred, but mostly this was a gentle-flowing feel-good story that re-establishes letter-writing, ice cream on a hot day, a camp-out under the stars with marshmallows roasting over the fire and impromptu singalongs as the very best of life. I’ve read three of the author’s four books and love each of these slow-simmer triumphs that really hit on what is really important while telling an engaging story. Those who enjoy general fiction with a light romance should definitely pick this up.

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is an utterly delightful read that sparkles with warmth, humor, charm and heart. Full of wonderful characters readers will find it impossible not to care about and plenty of drama, mischief and friendship to keep them turning the pages, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is another winner by Phaedra Patrick.

Mitchell Fisher abhors romance. He simply cannot stand mawkish sentimentality and thinks the world would be a much better place if romance didn’t have to come along and spoil things. His job – cutting off the padlocks which lovers fasten onto the town’s famous “love story” bridge – is one which he does with great gusto and relish. Yet, beneath Mitchell’s crusty exterior lies a broken-hearted man who is still grieving the loss of the love of his life. The woman who had made him smile and who had made his heart whole. The woman who sadly had passed away and left him alone with his memories and his sadness and their beautiful daughter, Poppy. Mitchell has known a great love once and he knows that he will never come close to feeling for anyone what he felt for his wife – and nor does he want to. But miracles can happen on Love Story Bridge as he discovers one fateful day…

When Mitchell sees a woman falling off the bridge, he immediately jumps to the rescue. Only, when he pulls her out he is flabbergasted to find himself overwhelmed by feelings and emotions which he hasn’t felt for a very long time. However, any chance Mitchell might have had to uncover more about this woman who with one look has turned his entire world upside down is squandered when she disappears without a trace. Not about to let this go without a fight, Mitchell decides to start digging into the identity of this woman – only he finds that she has been missing for a year and has not been since! What is Mitchell going to do now?

Teaming up with her spirited sister Liza seems like the only sensible and natural conclusion and as the two begin their quest to find the missing woman, they only have one clue to go on: the message she left hidden in a padlock she had hung on Love Story Bridge.

I read The Secrets of Love Story Bridge with a great big smile on my face. A beautifully written and wonderfully told story that will make readers’ hearts sing, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is a superb tale about living life, never giving up and the many surprising paths life takes us down that is deliciously feel-good and so charming readers simply will not be able to resist devouring this book in a single sitting.

Phaedra Patrick writes the most heart-warming books readers would just love to dive into and live in and The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is certainly no different. A tale of hope, new beginnings and letting go, I defy anyone not to read this and fall head over heels in love.

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge tugged at my heart. It's the kind of story that's already set up to have you feel a special sense of protectiveness and care for the protagonist. Mitchell is a single dad who's lost his belief in love and romance since his partner, Anita died. Now caring for their nine year-old daughter, Mitchell has become a more practical and regimented person, looking for ways to occupy all the minutes of the day so that there's no room to think about her passing. He left a promising but time-consuming career as an architect to work for his local council where he removes padlocks on bridges placed there by couples who are hopelessly in love or people remembering their loved ones. It's decidedly less challenging and less money but it gives him the opportunity to focus on being a dad. He's going about his work one morning when he notices a woman attach a padlock to the bridge - much to Mitchell's dismay - but there's something alluring about her. As he watches her, he sees her fall off the bridge and he quickly jumps in after her. Once she's safe, they part ways though fate isn't done with them yet. In an unexpected coincidence it turns out the mysterious woman is connected to someone he knows. This person enlists Mitchell's help in finding her with what little information they can gleam from the incident and the publicity it has garnered. Now Mitchell, who has only craved the quiet, ordered life with his daughter, is thrust into another kind of life where he interacts with people again, and he can't seem to escape being the good guy or be the recipient of people's good intentions.



I have noticed the comparisons to Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove and I can see why. Much like Ove, Mitchell just wants to go about his life without having to deal with others but never the less gets caught up in it all. Since he's forced to interact with others, his introverted lifestyle has to make room for others now. It's the subtle way that these new interactions infiltrate his life and open him up again that makes this story so powerful. Patrick manages a delicate balancing act between demonstrating Mitchell's grief which gradually shifts towards slight trepidation befor moving on and finally accepting that there's still much to be a part of and celebrate in his life.


I liked the tender way Mitchell's story is told. There's something calming, kind of matter-of-fact about it that made me feel like I was invited into Mitchell's world. Those moments of grief were done tenderly. The moments of levity saw him reconnecting with the past and also welcoming new beginnings. I loved Patrick's other novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, and much like that The Secret of Love Story Bridge is insightful, uplifting and heartfelt.


~ Bel

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2020; Park Row/Harlequin

After reading The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and loving it, I was excited to read another novel by Patrick. The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is another story of single man, Mitchell, but this time a single father. He has lost his partner, and taken a job where he can be there for his daughter. When a woman jumps off the bridge, Mitchell dives into save her and sets off on journey he never expected. This was a cute story, but I just didn't fall in love with it like The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

My first book by this author, and I was pulled in by the cover and the blurb. The prose truly filled me with emotions as Mitchell who had stopped believing in love, rescued a woman who was about to jump off the bridge. Wanting to know more about her, he got together with his sister to find more about her.

I loved everything about the story from the characters to the writing to the emotions that enveloped my heart. The author plucked me out from my life and immersed me into the depths of the story. Absolutely brilliant.

The secrets of love story bridge by Phaedra Patrick.
Mitchell Fisher hates anything to do with romance. Since his wife died leaving him with his daughter Poppy. He saves a woman from a bridge but she runs away before he can find out her name. Can he find her again.
This was a really good read. The characters and story. 4*.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the second book I've read by Phaedra Patrick and I've come to find that her books are charming and filled with the most quirky, lovable characters and this latest one is no exception. It is the perfect book to read right now with all the is going on and I'm so glad I picked this one up.

I've always been intrigued by the idea of those people leaving locks on bridges but have never really stopped to think about what consequences all that extra weight might have on the structural integrity of the bridge itself. That becomes part of the dilemma that faces the characters in this story and I loved the way it plays out.

This is such a sweet story and I found myself completely enamored by the characters right off the bat. Phaedra Patrick has such a way of creating characters that you really care about and want to see find happiness. You can help but end up rooting for them as they work their way out of whatever struggles and challenges they are facing.

This book is about grief and moving on as well as second chances and having the strength to take them. It is a heartwarming read and I'm so glad I picked it up. Phaedra Patrick is definitely an author not to miss!

An uplifting book about second chances, this book hooked me in with a stodgy but likable hero and a bit of a mystery. The set up was unique, and the method of getting the main character to “wake up” was charming. It took a while to understand Mitchell, but once his background was clear, he became endearing to me. I wanted to root for him. It was nice to have a male protagonist for a change as well. I would certainly recommend this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Park Row for a digital ARC of the book.

This is my first book from this author, and I was totally hooked with the book description. I love stories that deal with finding yourself and learning to overcome the big obstacles that life throws at you, and The Secrets of Love Story Bridge seemed to be the kind of story I was looking for in a world that is full of pandemic stress.

Michell lost his wife Anita and is grieving for her. Mitch deals with his grief by sticking to a rigid schedule and protecting his heart by closing himself off emotionally. He spends his days cutting love locks from bridges to protect their structural integrity. What a job to have -- to face these love offerings everyday -- as he griefs for his wife. When he tries to save a woman from jumping off the bridge after placing a lock there, his life changes because of his actions to save her. There's a mystery here when it is revealed the woman who jumped off the bridge has been missing for some time.

Mitch is joined on his journey by his nine year daughter Poppy, who provides much relief with her young humor. It's Poppy's music teacher Liza who brings more clues to the mysterious bridge jumper mystery. I liked that there was this mystery to help Mitch move on from his grief.

I loved the tone of this story. It's on the feel-good side considering the subject matter, and Mitch does learn quite a bit through his emotional journey. There's a really lovely part of this story that has to do with letter writing that I absolutely loved because the power of putting your words down on paper is so important in this electronic world.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It's emotional, has great characters and relationships between them and shows the lovely progression of Mitch's jouney out of grieving, and it was his journey that was the best part of the story. I wouldn't call this a page-turner, but I was engaged and needed to know how it was all going to turn out for the characters.

An ARC was provided by the publisher. This is my honest review.

Sometimes sad things happen to good people, and they end up thinking it’s their fault that the sad things happen, and then they truly believe they’re not good people anymore. This is the story of one of those people, and a series of events that help him to overcome that sadness and realize his life can go on, and have good things in it, and that is okay. This is also the story of a family mystery. A woman has disappeared and it has caused great anguish for her sisters and mother. It was a great, contemplative read for me as I’m stuck in quarantine in Seattle. I loved the British setting and the warm, rich characters. Thank you so much to Harlequin/Park Row Books for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time through NetGalley. Read on for a synopsis and my candid, unbiased review. This book released on April 28, so go check it out!

This book was such a sweet and thoughtful look at people and families, friendships and love, and guilt and forgiveness. Mitchell, the main character, is a total grump at the beginning but once I learned his backstory, I really felt for him. He definitely wormed his way into my heart. His daughter Poppy is absolutely adorable and so well-written. I could totally imagine her in real life. I also loved the women of the family that Mitchell ends up helping, especially Liza, who is so quirky and interesting.

One of the best things about this book is that is really written about everyday people living everyday life, and yet, there is almost a magical feeling to it all. The idea of all the locks weighing down the bridges and having to be cut off, and how futile that is, but how there is also a story behind each lock and if you think about it that way, it’s easy to get sentimental about it. I could just picture it!

I loved the bit of mystery in the story as well. I wasn’t certain what happened to Yvette, and with each new tidbit revealed, I had new theories. It kept me engrossed in the story for sure! And each character gets what they deserve, so to speak, which makes the ending satisfying. I especially enjoyed watching Mitchell’s journey as he learns to accept his past mistakes and stop beating himself up for them. I highly recommend this one as a soothing and engrossing escape!

We have probably all heard about the “love locks” in Paris and maybe even seen the Hallmark movie. While not based in France but England instead, “love locks” are at the heart of this story. The “love locks” and the bridge(s) they have been placed on, sets the tone for this story of dealing with losses of different kinds.

This is a book I probably would not have chosen on my own but I am so glad I read it. The characters had their quarks but overall I found them quite entertaining. And the story kept me wanting to see what would happened next.

This was a nice book to escape some of the realities of what is going on in the world around us. I know many, including myself, are turning to books to help us get through the day to day.

Mitchell Fisher hates romance and enjoys cutting locks off the bridges that had started to appear after a "Love Story" music video had been filmed. He saves a woman that fell from the bridge and later discovers she had been missing for a year. With the missing woman's sister Liza, he tries to find out what happened to her.

Mitchell has a very organized view of life, as chaos and last-minute changes had contributed to painful moments in his life. He's doing his best to take care of his daughter, leaving the high profile job he had before to the steady work of maintenance for the city. This involves cutting the locks from the bridges in the city, as witnessing others professing their love makes him uncomfortable now. He is drawn into the missing woman's story almost in spite of himself; his daughter's music teacher Liza is her sister, and she wants help to figure out the state of mind that the missing woman had been in.

It's fascinating to see Mitchell grow and develop over the course of the novel. He is emotionally closed off and rigid in the beginning, with carefully coordinated schedules and no time for playing with his daughter. Her vacations are full of plans and educational opportunities. It's a very big deal for him to save someone without thinking about it, though this is something that had been a huge part of his life in the past. It's clear that being closed off was his way to cope with grief, and that getting to know Liza and her family opened up his horizons. He feels emotions again, rekindles friendships, allows his daughter spontaneous playtime, actually plays with her, and tears up some of his plans. The romantic thread isn't the primary one here but is another connection that he closed himself off from.

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge is more about the connections to friends, family, and community, and that people need this in order to get through difficult moments in their lives. When Mitchell embraces this, his world opens up and he is much happier. By extension, so are we.

If you enjoyed Phaedra Patrick’s book “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper”, you will enjoy her new book “The Secrets of Love Story Bridge”.

My heart went out to Mitchell Fisher who is trying to raise his nine-year-old daughter Poppy on his own after his wife died. He has traded the engineering job he loved for a maintenance job with more stable hours. Through Patrick’s descriptive writing I could feel Mitchell’s loneliness, guilt, and fear – the fear of failing his daughter. And after saving the woman who fell into the river and then disappears, he feels he can redeem himself after not being able to save his wife. I could empathize with his inner struggles and really cared about him.

It is a sweet story that will warm your heart and will have you hoping for a happy ending.

I was ready for some romance on our anniversary, so I started this book. As I read, it felt like I had fallen into a fairy tale, the one about Cinderella. Mitchell Fisher, the protagonist, has given up his dream of being an engineer and is working a job that requires that he cut the padlocks off of the “love bridge” in his little village. One day, in the normal course of his work, he sees a young woman fall off the bridge. Mitchell doesn’t hesitate to jump into the strong current to save her. As the hero, he obviously wants to know the name of the young woman whose life he saved, but she disappears before he even finds her name. Then, in a real coincidence that is necessary to make the story work, Mitchell goes to get his daughter Poppy from her music lesson. There he meets Liza, who happens to be the sister of the young woman whom he rescued and who tells him that her name is Yvette and that she has been missing for several years now. Strange circumstances, but it actually makes the story! Mitchell becomes a hero to the town and receives letters about his heroism. (The part about the letters presents an entire sub-plot). I enjoyed the story but was not ready for the Cinderella feel of it. I really liked the characters but I did not think that they were as well developed as they could have been. The mystery of why Yvette disappeared and where she is now was well written, kind of like a little suspense built into the romance storyline. My favorite character was Poppy, who represented the hopeful belief in good things that young children have. I also liked the friendship that developed between Mitchell and Liza, both of whom complemented each other well. All in all, it was a good romantic read and perfect for these uncertain times.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

After the death of the love of his life Anita, Mitchell spends his days at his job doing the menial work of cutting padlocks from bridges. Lovers come from all over to place their lock on the bridge and he snips them off one by one, day after day.

When Mitchell saves a woman who falls into the water after she hung her lock, he regrets not getting her name. But when his daughter Poppy’s music teacher Liza sees the article of Mitchell and the woman he rescued, she thinks it’s her sister who apparently disappeared over a year ago. Being that Mitchell was the last to have contact with her, Liza thinks he can help track her down using the lock she left behind. Mitchell vows to her mom and sisters he will help find her since he felt a connection to her after rescuing her.

Not long after the rescue, he’s hailed as a hero, and garners lots of unwarranted attention. Thanks to a journalist, people from all over the city write in letters for a contest, handwritten letters thanking Mitchell for his selfless act, letters of unrequited love and regrets, or emotional love stories. Mitchell himself writes a lot of love letters to Anita even though she’s gone, and he still has the last letter she wrote to him before she passed away, still sealed and unread.

While Mitchell tries to find the mystery woman, he finds himself thinking more and more about love and his regrets. With Liza and Poppy’s help he reads through the letters people have sent in and begins to open himself up to new beginnings.

Part love story, part mystery, this is a quick read with an uplifting and charming story line.

Thank you to the author and Park Row Books for my copy and letting me be a part of this blog tour!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley and Park Row Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Another novel to pull at my heartstrings this month. Clearly this month is about me crying and being super emotional. There’s something about a story that shows that even though someone has been burned by love in some way, they are able to find it in their heart to love again. Even though it took a long time for Mitchell, and honestly it took short of a miracle for him to want to, I think it still gives us some hope that one day our hearts can heal from whatever is ailing it, and find the strength to open it again.

It may seem like Mitchell is a cynic, especially since he enjoys the job of cutting off the locks that people have been putting up on this bridge that is supposed to show their everlasting love at the time. Only someone truly hurt by love would like to cut off those tokens, and that’s what it seems like Mitchell is. Of course, for those that don’t know his backstory don’t realize that he’s just still grieving the loss of his beloved wife, and of course he is taking out his pain in the best way that he knows how to. Of course, something starts to change in his heart when he ends up saving the life of a mysterious woman, who ends up being the sister of his daughter’s music teacher who was missing for a whole year. How mysterious…

I felt so bad for Mitchell but I understood why he wanted to protect his heart in the way he did. I also understood why a part of him wanted to find this woman that he rescued and how it could change his outlook in life and love in the blink of an eye. Or at least what seems like a blink of an eye. I think that the journey that Mitchell took to find this woman was a way for him to heal in a way that his heart needed, and maybe it gave him another avenue to let go of his grief and pain. It also helped to give his daughter Poppy a break from the extremely structured life that he wanted her to live so that she could have a little more creativity and room for her to deal with what she needs to.

I’m also really glad that there was a friendship that formed between Mitchell and Poppy’s teacher Liza in this journey to find her sister. I don’t know how I would be feeling if I was in Liza’s position, knowing that after a whole year of not knowing where my sister was or whether she was even alive, she comes back and disappears just like that. I feel like in this story, in this journey, Mitchell and Liza needed one another in a way that they probably wouldn’t have realized. The concept of friendship is sometimes so brushed off that I feel like it needs more credit. I’m glad that this book ended up giving some of that credit back.

My Thoughts
I was asked to participate in the blog tour for this book and, as a fan of Phaedra Patrick’s previous novels, I was keen to join in. Here are my pros and cons for The Secrets of Love Story Bridge:

Pros

1. I really enjoy contemporary romance novels written from a man’s POV. This book was no exception. Mitchell, widower and single dad, is a charming and engaging character even though he is struggling with grief, guilt and loneliness. You almost can’t help but connect with him, in part because you will find yourself wanting to help him.
2. Phaedra Patrick writes mature romance – at least that is how I would describe her books. She writes about real people with real problems who happen to connect with other real people with real problems. Her characters are often older and her lead characters are frequently men. Throughout this particular book we get the privilege of observing the unlikely connection between two adults grow. The romance/relationship in this book isn’t mushy, it isn’t raunchy, it isn’t erotic, and it isn’t even steamy… and I appreciate that. Patrick writes relationships that are realistic, honest, and solid.
3. Poppy, Mitchell’s daughter, was also a great character. She seemed a bit wise beyond her years, but sometimes kids are that way after experiencing tragedy. The relationship between Poppy and her Dad was endearing and well-written.
4. I thought the exploration of grief, guilt, and loneliness was well done. Mitchell had many things he had to work through in order to “move on” with his life. Letting go of the past is probably one of the hardest things a human has to do in life. I thought the feelings Mitchell had (good and bad) and actions he took to address his feelings (good and bad) were honest and realistic.
5. I thought Mitchell’s reaction to being considered a “hero” was unique. At least I didn’t expect it.
6. The use of the locks and subsequent written love stories was a unique and creative way to tell this story.
7. The pacing of the novel is really good. I read it in a day.

Cons

1. I don’t love the title. To me the title is cutesy and I would never describe this book as cutesy.
2. The secondary story in the book (the woman on the bridge) was interesting… until it was resolved. Considering the drama and tension of the woman’s situation, the resolution felt rushed and unrealistic.

Summary
Phaedra Patrick’s books are often described as heartwarming… because they are. This book is definitely heartwarming. It was also charming and funny and uplifting and hopeful. I would recommend any of her books to anyone that enjoys a solid love story.

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.