A Stich in Time in Applewell - Lilac Mills

Reading Challenge Category: Free ARC from NetGalley

Official Blurb:

It’s not just hems that are frayed in Applewell…
Gracie rescues old clothes and cast offs from Applewell’s charity shop, making them into cute and fresh outfits, which she then sells in her little shop. Turning a profit is hard at the best of times, let alone when new arrival Lucas appears…
After running away from the village in his teens, Lucas has finally returned to an uncomfortable amount of fanfare and gossip. His job requires him to streamline homeless charity, UnderCover, and his plans to do so risk putting Gracie out of business.
The pair of them exchange harsh words but when Lucas' niece cuts up his sister's wedding dress, there's only one person he can think to turn to. Along with repairing the dress, will Gracie patch up her relationship with Lucas? Or is that a stitch too far?

My Thoughts:

I was in the mood for something light and uplifting, and this gave me exactly what I needed. We have seen Gracie on the periphery of the two other books in this series, so it was really lovely to get her full story and see her get the happiness she deserves.
Even though this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone as previous characters are now just on the outskirts of this story!
Gracie is a lovely character; she is well-developed with her own business and morals. She may be shy and timid, but she really has her life together with owning her own home and making a living from what she loves.
Lucas was also a great character, quite complicated with some demons in his past, but I think they were more what people were projecting onto him from one mistake he made when he was very young.
I loved how the chemistry between Gracie and Lucas flowed, you could really feel their attraction coming off the page, and it made for very easy and enjoyable reading.
Overall, this is an excellent addition to the Applewell world, but looking at the author’s pattern for series, she seems to stop at three, so was this the last we have seen of Applewell? I hope not!
This was a lovely escape from reality, and a solid five star read from me.