The scenes in the family shop are genuinely heart-warming – a palm reader who softens the blow and a life saved are just some of the things that go on.The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY. It’s an easy read after all the characters are established – they’re predominantly quirky, fun and looking for companionship and love. The subplot with Jess, a colleague of Drew and Rowie’s, was a little mixed for me – does she deserve punishment for her misdeeds? Or is she simply confused? In the end, everyone got their happily ever after. Plus, there are many subplots that weave their way through, mainly concerning the happiness of Rowie’s family. But I was ultimately rewarded as the pace picks up a lot after Rowie gets her TV forecaster job. There was a lot of character establishment, but not a great detail of movement.

It took me a little while to get into this book, because there didn’t seem to be much happening. You see, with one kiss, Rowie can see a man’s future – unless it’s that of her soulmate. But after a spiteful dare goes wrong, Rowie loses her powers. She is then thrust into the spotlight, where she becomes New York’s weather darling. After a freak weather accident with a tornado, respected and popular meteorologist Drew is incapacitated and Rowie is discovered by the media giving her usual morning weather report. Still, the Shakespeare women maintain a relatively happy life – not exciting, but happy. You could say that it runs in the family – her grandmother still talks to her dead husband and her mother doesn’t know what happened to Rowie’s father. Rowie is somewhat of a local treasure, but she’s unlucky in love. I know, it’s not your usual kind of magical trait, but it draws a crowd outside the family’s home and shop in New York each morning.

Why the title of Forecast? Well, it’s because the heroine, Rowie, has the ability to predict the weather. It turned out that Forecast is a light, fun romance with some magical elements to it. I must admit that the cover of Forecast is what attracted me to this book – the cover is kind of mysterious, and doesn’t really explain what the book is about or even which genre it is. Why I chose it: Enjoy some magical realism on occasions. The not-so-good: Drew, the hero, can be an unlikable idiot at times. When New York’s leading meteorologist is injured in a freak weather accident, Rowie takes his spot – and falls in love. In brief: Rowie has a special gift – she can forecast the weather, plus see someone’s future when she kisses them.

Forecast by Jane Tara