This is one of those books I wanted to like more than I did.  I've enjoyed Mitchard's other books, and the premise of this one sounded promising.  Unfortunately the characters kind of annoyed me.

True Dickinson is a successful business owner and single mother.  Since her husband died many years ago, she's worked hard to create a life for herself, her son and her widowed mother.  She has surrounded herself with friends and co-workers who have become like a family for her.  Yet there is still something missing in her life.

When she meets Hank, the handsome, quirky, passionate younger man who owns the restaurant she and her friends pick to celebrate her 43rd birthday, sparks fly.  But True can't believe a man 10 years younger than her would be interested, and rebuffs his advances several times before finally agreeing to go out with him.

Sparks fly and before she knows it, True is deeply in love with Hank.  So much so, they marry in a rush, not even telling True's son, Guy, before they do so.

Despite the warnings and misgivings of those around them, Hank and True are determined to make their marriage work and to give Guy the father he's never had.  But between True's long-held defenses and insecurities, and Hank's hot-headedness, their path to happiness will not be a smooth one.

I found both the romantic leads in this book annoying in different ways.  True is described as being a successful business owner with a loyal staff who are more friends than employees.  Yet she is so insecure about everything, it's difficult to understand how she ever managed to get the business off the ground.  Let alone deal with all the challenges and personalities a business of this type would involve.

And Hank is both immature and pig headed.  The fact he won't see how wrong his actions toward True are when he chooses an ex-girlfriend over her at a point where she needs his support made me hope they never got back together.

I wanted this book to be much more fun than it is.  I mean, what older woman doesn't occasionally daydream about being with a much younger guy who finds her attractive?  True never seemed to recognise that Hank genuinely does find her attractive and actively seems to seek out the negatives and look for problems.  She treats him like he's an immature teenager at times, and is so suspicious of him, it's not really a surprise that he does wind up failing her.  She expects it and he lives up to her expectations.

So I don't highly recommend this one.  It isn't a bad read and I certainly enjoyed parts of it.  I just didn't find it has engaging (or as hot) as I wanted to.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

It is True Dickinson's birthday and her best friends have gathered on this snowy night to celebrate. True has never felt more alone. Though her small business is thriving and her young son is happy, the death of her husband eight years ago has left an empty space in her life that friends and family cannot fill. Are youth and beauty slipping away while True is busily taking care of everyone else? An accident the night of her birthday will answer that question and give True the opportunity to let love back into her life -- that is, if she can overcome her own fears and if these two spirits can find a way to tame each other's wild hearts. A story of transformation and an unforgettable tale of the perils and pleasures of modern love, Twelve Times Blessed is a powerful, moving novel of the heart from one of our most gifted and best-loved storytellers.