Absent In The Spring is perhaps my favorite book in this series. There was something particularly enticing about this story line and characters, Lucy Shakespeare and Lachlan MacLeish. Ahh yes, from the moment they meet there's magic.

As the oldest of the Shakespeare sisters, Lucy has always been the one taking care of the necessities when there's a parent with failing health She tales responsibility very seriously and is the one with the most conservative professional role. It's her job as a lawyer that brings Lucy and Lachlan together. There's an element of the forbidden (he's her client), and one of adventure. And something about Lachlan that has Lucy experiencing feelings completely foreign to her. He's intriguing and the attraction is instantaneous.

"As soon as the elevator doors closed behind her, Lucy leaned her head on the mirrored wall, holding on to the handrail as it began to ascend. Though he was in the lobby, she could still smell his cologne, still see that dimpled smile. She’d never met somebody with so much presence, with such an easy ability to take her breath away. He was danger, dressed in a designer suit."

This story is probably the sexiest of the three. It's one of those cases where I swear the pheromones were coming off the page. Lachlan pulls Lucy out of her head and she begins taking chances where this "follow the rules" girl excels. Maybe it's allure that Lachlan provides. I for one loved seeing her shed her inhibitions. But Lachlan is pretty dreamy, hes a very balanced character, a little broken and as with Lucy's attraction to him, Lachlan finds himself taking emotional risks

"That was another thing about him, he knew how to say all the right things. But more than that, the way he looked at her only underscored his words, making her feel as though she was the most important person in his life."

Aside from the noticeable heat between them, they do build a friendship based on mutual respect and that points to one of the reasons why I love reading book by Carrie Elks. They are multifaceted with characters and situations that are well thought out and fully developed. As with the other Shakespeare Sisters book, the family comes together to support each other and even through perceived wrong doings.

In it all, Elks takes us on a vacation to the Scottish Highlands and Paris. And of course there's Miami and New York. Maybe Lucy does get a little something from her two youngest sisters and their ability embrace the unknown. Another 5 star addition to the series

*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*