Romance novels are a literary comfort food. All you need are some familiar ingredients, likable characters, and a satisfying ending. The Cloverton series by Haven Saunders and Marci Wilson explores an entire town’s worth of romance stories. Below check out my review of the first book in series, Going Home, and interview with Wilson about the book.
Going Home plot summary
Dean Gorman returns home to Cloverton after 10 years away. Instead of striding in on a high horse as a renowned freelance photojournalist, he instead sneakes into his now dilapidated former jobsite, the old lumber mill, and literally sets up camp during his stay in town.
When someone calls in a report of some suspicious activity at the lumbermill, Dean’s childhood best friend, Melanie Hart, now a Cloverton police officer, is dispatched to the scene. There, the two have an unconventional reunion which begins with Melanie pointing a gun at Dean. Then, a major storm hits, trapping the two in the mill overnight, and the two admit their long-suppressed feelings for each other.
The story
Going Home is a fast and focused read that hits all of the right romance beats of unrequited and rekindled love. I was able to breeze through the novella while stuck in jury duty, and it kept my focus and helped me pass the time during a very long day.
There are certain story elements that are always grabbing, no matter how many times they have been used in the history of fiction. One of those tropes is the character who returns to their hometown after a long time away. They have the cool job that allows them to travel the world and return more rugged and worldly than the scrappy, immature kid they were when they left.
Things move fast in the story as the two main characters reconnect, share their feelings, and navigate the next steps. But it’s not as simple as picking up where they left off. Melanie in particular has already been burned once by her ex, and she now has two girls who have to come first. After living through that heartbreak, she’s hesitant to start a relationship with a man who moves around for a living. However, Dean seeks out to prove that he can put down roots in his hometown if it means that those roots are with Melanie.
The characters
Both Dean and Melanie are likable characters, and you can see why they were best friends growing up. Dean was always the wild one who got into trouble and was likely to have pursued the nomadic career that he did. Melanie’s wildness came back to haunt her as she ended up pregnant by her ex-husband and is now a single working mother.
Both have learned from their past mistakes as Dean finally confesses to why he left instead of just running away again, and Melanie remains practical and cautious, afraid of repeating her past mistakes. Despites these reservations, though, she is drawn to Dean, and with the help of trusted friends and family, she’s persuaded to give him a chance.
The backstory of these characters is just enough to help the reader fill in the blanks as to what we have missed in the past, but there’s still some missing pieces to their story that would have been nice to know in order to make the current events have more of an impact. It also would have better helped to explain why the couple makes the decisions they do, both individually and together.
My recommendation
Going Home is ultimately a light, quick romance read that would be great to take on a short trip or need a little escapism in their busy, monotonous day. I really liked what was there, but I do feel like it needed more in order to really humanize the characters and introduce us to the town that this series will revolve around. I also found some inconsistencies in the story, such as certain characters’ names and the timeline of events.
That being said, I did root for this couple, and a teaser chapter at the end of the book confirms that Melanie will definitely pop up again in future stories. The writing and pacing are also strong with descriptive narration and a good-natured tone that’s not corny or hokey.
What are your favorite romance tropes? Leave your answers in the comments below!
My rating
An interview with Marci Wilson
The series appears to focus on individual couples within the town. Was the series planned out in advance, or did each sequel come to light after each story was completed? If it was planned, why was Melanie and Dean’s story chosen first?
Haven Saunders started this series with Turn the Page, which is why we have odd numbering on the books. She asked me to join her in writing the series and I suggested we have a lead magnet, so we worked on Going Home, which we dubbed Book 0 rather than calling it a prequel since it is a complete novella. We knew we wanted six books to give the series the best chance to take off and Turn the Page was a great start to the series, but we wanted to introduce the town to new readers through the eyes of someone returning and seeing the changes.
Is Cloverton based on a real place?
While there are similarities between Cloverton and my hometown, Cloverton is a town I worked with Haven to create and expand to turn this into a series.
Were you influenced by any other romance authors or series?
Not really. Haven was just starting out writing, and I was her writing coach. When I mentioned to her that I was ready to start a new series to launch my new pen name, she asked if I’d co-author this with her instead of starting something new. I hadn’t co-authored before, but it was great to work with her and bounce ideas off someone who is so new to the business.
Do you have a favorite character?
I really like Chet. He’s a good guy and is always looking out for the people of Cloverton despite having some struggles of his own.
When was the decision made to make Melanie a cop and Dean a photographer? Was there any reasoning behind these chosen professions?
When I created the series bible to make sure Haven and I were up to date on the character pairings and any changes to the town, I added the character of Melanie. Dean was Haven’s addition to the story. She had a great backstory for why he left and how he managed to be a drifter for all those years by being a freelance photographer.
Do you think that Dean is acting purely on impulse, or did he come back to Cloverton with a plan to win Melanie back?
I don’t think Dean came with the intent of seeing anyone, but once he did, he realized how strong his feelings for Melanie still ran. Once he realized she was single, it opened the door for him to let her know that he’d always loved her.
What’s it like to write with another author? How do you split up the writing duties?
I adore working with Haven. She is new to writing/publishing, so she is so excited and has so many ideas. Working with someone who is still starry-eyed really reminded me why I love doing what I do.
When we decided to move forward with the series, I created a series guide with the town and some of the main characters. Then we made a list of the overall plot points and tropes for each book and which characters would be best for those. I worked on a loose outline and let Haven run with it. I then took her first draft and edited/polished it and added the parts I felt were important. When we agreed the book was ready, we sent it off for editing.
What advice do you have for authors who are thinking about writing or planning to write a romance book or series?
Do it! Romance is so fun to write. I love bringing these characters together to watch them overcome whatever comes their way.
What’s next for you?
We have one more book coming in the Cloverton series. By Design will be coming later this summer! After that, we’ll each work on separate books for a while and then determine if we want to expand the series. We already have some ideas, so don’t be surprised if you see Cloverton book 7 and beyond later this year!
Author links
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Marci Wilson
Haven Saunders
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Friends to Lovers is my favorite.
Rock star for me!
I like friends to lovers the best.
Small town is good too!