When Zoe and her friends won the lottery, each of them had a plan. Zoe, quit her job as a corporate attorney and tried to address the guilt she felt for some of the things she had to do. Writing her feelings on slips of paper and putting them in a jar, Zoe pulls one out and is determined to face her past. Aiden O’Leary is grieving the loss of his brother and facing the woman who sat across the table from his family for the company whose drug helped kill him was the last thing he wanted, but he saw an opportunity. Aiden’s plan for the money his family got in the lawsuit is to purchase a camp and he needs someone to stand by his side as his fianceé, and he asks Zoe to take that place. Over the next six weekends they see a different side of each other and gain a closeness that neither wants to go away.

Luck of the Draw was not quite as charming as the first novel in the series, Beginner’s Luck. Part of this was the subject matter and Aiden’s back story. It’s hard to read a sad novel about a man overcoming the loss of his brother and also Zoe’s guilt that goes along with dealing out the payment for that man’s loss. This was the heart of the story, but there were moments of light inside that darkness. Zoe’s needing to fill Aiden’s silence with chatter, his stoic facade cracking into a grin, their need to hold onto each other, and more. Each of these small moments made you look forward to that next moment that led to Zoe and Aiden’s guilt slowly dissipating. So, yes, there wasn’t as much charm in this novel, but there were plenty of great moments. Also, there was one heck of a declaration from Aiden to Zoe and that one scene was worth everything.

Kate Clayborn has proven that she writes a great story and once again she has also proven that she fills those stories with some great side-characters. As with the first, the girl group who won the lottery together, Kit, Greer, and Zoe stood by each other, embraced their differences, and doled out support and advice. They were wonderful and I wish I had that same kind of girl group in my own life. Aiden was a little bit more of a loner. He was so consumed with grief that despite having people close to him, he held them at a distance because it was too hard to let anyone close. However, as the book advanced and he went through a healing process, he allowed those friends close and that was a win- they were also great side characters who added charm and fun which was needed.

So, I didn’t like this book as much as the first but I still liked it a lot. It had its own heart. It was a little bit more difficult to get through because of the sadness, but once that dissipated a bit, this novel was a gem. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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