Book review: The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

Lucy has already done the whole whirlwind, heart-thumping, fairy-tale romance and she knows how it ends. Devastated by her husband's death; she's spent the last five years putting herself back together.
Now Lucy's ready to start over- but this time she's steering clear of any man who poses a risk to her heart.
Yet finding a perfectly boring husband is harder than it sounds, particularly when she's suddenly tempted by the one man she shouldn't want...

The Next Best Thing is an enjoyable read. It is light-hearted yet deals with some very sensitive issues. Lucy Lang has been widowed for five years, she has now decided that it is now time to move on and begin dating again. She immediately meets opposition in the form of The Black Widows; Lucy's mother and aunts who also lost their husbands at a young age. Jimmy's brother Ethan is also a little upset as Lucy informs him that their friends with benefits relationship must also stop. Is Lucy read though, can she truly love another man and why does she miss Ethan so much?
I really enjoyed the fact that Lucy is a baker as I own a cake shop too so I could see where she was coming from with her passion for puddings. A lot of the book takes place at the bakery with The Black Widows, I think they were my favourite aspect of the book as they provided so much humour.
I found Lucy a little irritating at times as I felt that she did  mess certain characters about but I still enjoyed reading her story. Ethan is an extremely likable character and I was hoping he'd find happiness by the end of the book.
The Next Best Thing is the second Mills and Boon book that I have read recently and they have both changed my perceptions of what this publisher has to offer.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Many thanks to Mills and Boon for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now.