Review: Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

I received this book via the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks
Series: A Love in Galway #1
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on 2024-08-20
Length: 352 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind

Falling for the wrong person? Bury your feelings.

Painfully shy Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. Texan animator Lark Thompson moved to Galway, Ireland, to restart her life and career, not be reminded of losing her husband by moving in next to a funeral home.

But when she learns of Callum’s dilemma, Lark’s certain she can help him find The One, even if she’s sworn off love herself. Though as the dating project progresses and Lark spends more time with straight-laced, sarcastic Callum, he starts to crack the ice around her grieving heart. And the more joy that vivacious Lark brings to Callum’s grey existence, the less he can imagine letting her return to Texas.

If they think they can ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

This was an interesting read. Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks is a contemporary romance about a recently widowed woman falling for an undertaker. That is putting it in the simplest terms possible. Lark Thompson had to get away from her life after her husband died, so when a spot opened to head a project in Galway, she took it, packed everything she could take with her and left. Now halfway around the world, Lark finds herself living across the street from a mortuary with a cute undertaker who admittedly has his own baggage to deal with.

Callum Flannelly is mourning the loss of his grandfather, the owner of the mortuary and who raised him, all while dealing with the fact that his grandfather left the business to his estranged father if Callum isn’t married by the time he is 35. That time is approaching quicker than he’d like with zero hopes of finding someone he’d want to marry. That is until the American moves in across the street.

There are so many layers to this book. It is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance that burns slowly. When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma, she wants to help him save his business and keep his home. She forces him out of his comfort zone and into the dating scene all while catching her own feelings for him. The author beautifully blends the grief and guilt Lark has into this story. It’s much more than just a romance as it deals with subjects such as spousal loss, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It’s about as close to real life as you can get.

Overall, I really enjoyed Morbidly Yours. It’s a beautifully written story about two polar opposites becoming friends and then eventually more. If you are looking for an unconventional romance, this is it!

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