Gina WilkinsCritiques
Auteur de Hearts under Caution
Critiques
Gold and Glitter (Harlequin Temptation) par Gina Wilkins
This didn’t delve as deeply into Casey’s issues with his law career as maybe it could have, just a couple conversations here and there, but Nicole’s anxieties over her situation were well conveyed, there’s a strong sense of how heavily it weighs on her, and I liked that while she ultimately does accept help in sorting it all out, she never comes across as helpless.
I enjoyed Casey and Nicole’s relationship, there was a maturity to how they handled most scenes that I liked, they don’t do a lot of stomping out of rooms and leaving things unsaid, they tended to talk, although I have to say, what I most fell in love with here was the dog Buddy and the pair’s evolving attachment to him, whether or not they ended up with the dog mattered more to me than whether they ended up with each other, that’s how invested I was in the furry guy.
This whole story was shaping up fairly nicely (considering its vintage) until the very end: when the hero finally proposed to her, the heroine quit her job on the spot. Seriously?? Sigh. That is a good thing about present-day contemporaries, at least: women realize and fight for the ability to have spouses and careers and kids, all at the same time, instead of feeling like they have to give up one dream if they have any chance of fulfilling another.
(Also? The characters have ten inches in height difference, and that really bothered me, as it added to the power dynamic between the two of them in an unhealthy way.)
Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/06/made-grade-doctors-in-trainin...
Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/made-grade-nascar-series-book...
This was a pleasant and sweet romance. I liked the main couple. The secondary characters were interesting and some of them have their own stories in upcoming books in the “Bell Family” series by Gina Wilkins.
An enjoyable read with a lovely setting.
Cole is a numbers guy, happiest when behind a computer. He's also a widower who lost his wife five years earlier. He wants a family of his own, but the dating process isn't his thing. Becoming daddy to Stevie's baby is the perfect compromise.
I loved the two of them together. Stevie is so bubbly and outgoing, but also unsure about being able to give her baby the best life. She had grown up as the child of a single mother and always felt the lack of a father in her life. Cole is calm and steady, but also yearns for the chance to have the kind of family he dreams of. His childhood was marked by parents who didn't get along, and a father who didn't understand why Cole wasn't interested in the same things he was. Cole and Stevie had been friends for a year, with Cole burying the attraction he had felt for her because he knew he wasn't her type. From the very beginning they were able to talk to each other about anything.
I loved the growth of their relationship. The attraction between them gave them another connection that helped pull them closer together. Cole was really sweet with the way that he wanted to take care of her and was so understanding of her fears. He tried to take care of her without stepping on her need for independence. He knew that he was falling for her, but didn't think that she felt the same way. Stevie was a bit of a worrywart and was afraid that she had taken advantage of him. She worried that he was only being kind to her, and was still in love with his late wife, while she was falling in love with him. I loved seeing them settle in to life together and how fantastic it was. There were some terrific moments, such as the ultrasound when they learned the sex of the baby and it all became so real to Cole. I also loved seeing Stevie read Cole's father the riot act, as she tried to help fix the relationship between them. Both Cole and Stevie had some pretty deep insecurities to overcome, but a crisis with the pregnancy gave them the impetus to face those fears. I loved seeing them finally come fully together, and the epilogue wrapped it up nicely.
I also liked the scenes with Jen and Tess, her friends from A Reunion and a Ring and The Boss's Marriage Plans. I liked how her friends were worried about her and gave Cole a bit of a hard time, but eventually came to see how right they were together.
Scott is the head of his construction company and has worked hard to make it the company that it is. He's thirty seven years old and feels like it is time for a family of his own. He was engaged a few years earlier, but it hadn't worked out. His fiancee didn't like his hours, and constantly complained about his lack of romance. This time he's going to pursue it in a more practical manner. As soon as he lists out what he's looking for, he realizes that Tess is a perfect match.
Scott caught Tess at a bit of a low point. It's the holidays and she's alone again except for her older sister. Her sister is constantly trying to fix her up, and she's getting tired of it. She's tried online dating and has struck out there too. She just wants a family of her own. When Scott comes to her with his "marriage plan" she says yes.
I loved seeing these two together. They've known each other for six years, so there aren't a lot of secrets between them. As they begin attending events as a couple instead of as boss and employee, things start to change. I loved seeing Scott begin to see Tess as a beautiful woman. Tess had always seen Scott as a sexy man, but buried any feelings because of her job. Their "just a test" first kiss hit them each harder than they expected, and the physical attraction between them grew. Though their relationship is built on friendship, and emotions such as love have never been mentioned, Tess realizes that she wants more than Scott seems willing to give. It was fun to see Scott move away from the practical without realizing it until it was almost too late. There were a couple great scenes with Scott's brothers as he sees their love for their wives but believes he doesn't need that, then later seems to envy what they have. When Tess confronts him with what she needs from him, Scott has to make a decision. I loved seeing Scott's confusion and then realization that he had loved her all along, but hadn't recognized it. I liked the ending and that Tess made him work for his happy ending.
I liked the secondary characters a lot. Tess's friends were great sounding boards for her and there when she needed them. I really enjoyed seeing them help Tess pick out her holiday dresses. I also liked seeing more of Stevie, and am looking forward to her story. I suspect that her neighbor is going to be part of it. Tess's sister was an interesting character. She drove me as nuts as she did Tess, with her attitude and her digs, but I loved that she was there when Tess really needed her. Scott's family was great. I loved the way they made Tess a part of them so easily. I also liked how Scott's brothers gave him a hard time, but were an example of what marriage should be.
I liked Gavin quite a lot. Though he's not exactly thrilled to have Jenny show up, he does his best to be polite. He also discovers that the attraction between them is as strong as ever, something that he is determined to resist. It isn't easy to do when he catches glimpses of the old Jenny underneath the sophisticated surface she has now. I liked the way that he stood up for her against one of his friends when the guy was being obnoxious. I also really liked the way that he is happy with the choices he has made in his life. He's honest with her about the doubts he'd had when he was younger, and how he'd allowed people like her and others to try to change him, but eventually realized that he had to be true to himself.
Jenny irritated me through a good part of the book. First of all, to have to get away to think about the pros and cons of accepting her boyfriend's proposal tells me that she doesn't love him, otherwise there would be no doubt. She spent way too much time thinking about what her grandmother's opinions would be. Looking at her past, I hated the way that she let Gran influence her attitudes so much. Gavin had a really good point when he called her a snob. I liked the way that she loved her work, and her unhappiness at the idea of having to give it up to be with Thad should have told her something was wrong.
I loved seeing the sparks that Jenny and Gavin still had going between them. Those sparks made it impossible for Gavin to just walk away after seeing her again. Jenny also had to face the fact that her feelings for Gavin were so much stronger than what she felt for Thad. I liked seeing them get to know each other as who they are now, and the difference it makes to the way they see each other. Gavin makes a point of telling Jenny that she needs to be true to herself if she's going to be happy, no matter what her decision is about Thad. I liked the scene where Gavin is driving Jenny home and stops to help someone, giving her a small taste of what he does. I loved how that influenced something she said later at an event she attended with Thad. I really liked the ending, with the conclusion circling back to the cabin where it all started.
Cole has not seen his father for 26 years. Kelsey hunts down Cole because her sister is married to his father and he is ill. The determination that Kelsey shows is what attracts Cole to her.
I enjoyed the building of the relationship between Kelsey, and Cole. The turmoil they both went through as they were each trying to deny the attraction.
I liked both Logan and Alexis, and found their attempts to keep their relationship quiet amusing. They started out just going for a physical relationship, but over time it began to evolve. They seemed to be unaware of those changes for the first part of the book. Then, as they did start to notice, the fears crept in. Alexis invited Logan to join her in Seattle when she went for a conference, then panicked because she was afraid he was starting to mean too much to her. Alexis is the product of a marriage that went through a very messy divorce, then saw both parents and her brother continue the pattern of bad marriages. Added to a bad breakup of her own, she has lost her ability to believe that love can last. I loved seeing her slowly let Logan in, admitting to herself that she looked forward to seeing him and missed him when she didn't see him for awhile. Logan has been a loner since college. He discovered then that family were the only people he could truly count on to be there for him, and it was reinforced when his business partner betrayed him. Now he has the inn, his sisters and his dog, plus his occasional visits with Alexis. He is surprised by her invitation to Seattle and spends quite a bit of time trying to make up his mind whether to go.
Their time in Seattle was a big step as they got to know more about each other. I loved seeing them have fun with their sightseeing, but also delve more deeply into what has made them who they are. Both of them had uneasy moments when they realized that things were changing, but each one tried to shove those thoughts aside and go back to their old way of doing things. The strain of that started to show as both started having thoughts of the future. I loved how it was Logan's encounter with a groom that got him really thinking, when the man said "I figure I've been given a second chance. I'm not going to mess it up."
The resolution of their differences and overcoming of their fears made this a very satisfying story to read. I also loved the parts that her cat and his dog played throughout, and especially the dog's part at the end. That critter was a lot smarter than his people!
I really liked both Bonnie and Paul. She was the driving force behind the three siblings reopening the inn after they inherited it and she is the one who is there 24/7. The first couple times she met Paul, when his daughter was planning her wedding, he knocked her right off her feet. After he helped her up, she noticed a zing of attraction. At the beginning of this book, they encounter each other at the farmers market and take the time to talk to each other. When Bonnie discovers that he's interested in learning to cook healthier meals for himself, she offers him a spot in her cooking class. The classes bring them closer together and soon they are spending what time they can together. It isn't as much as she would like, but as busy as she is she'll take what she can get, and some of it is quality time indeed. Paul has made it pretty obvious that he's really looking forward to his upcoming freedom, so Bonnie doesn't quite know what to expect of their deepening relationship. She suspects that she is falling in love with him, and wants more than he may be prepared to offer. When he breaks things off rather suddenly, telling her she needs more than he can give her, she blasts him for being arrogant and condescending in telling her what her own needs are. I loved the way she didn't just sit back and take it. The couple of weeks before his daughter's wedding were hard for her because she really missed him. I really liked the way that her brother and sister were there to support her without trying to tell her what to do. I really loved the daughter's wedding and loved seeing Paul grovelling later on.
Paul was a great character. One of the things I liked best about him was what a good father he was. Even though he and Cassie's mom had never married they had stayed good friends even after she married. He was treated as just another member of the family. I also loved seeing the great relationship he had with Cassie. It's obvious that there is a lot of love and respect between them, and I loved their teasing. His easy participation in the wedding planning is great. He'd been so sweet and embarrassed when he knocked Bonnie over those times, and then blown away by how beautiful he thought she was. He's a little worried about how fascinated he is by her. He is eleven years older than she is and well past the stage in life where he sees her. But he can't resist trying to spend some time with her and is happy to find her amenable to the idea. He does make it pretty clear that he's not looking for any kind of commitment. I really liked the way that he doesn't get mad when she isn't always available to go out with him, or when something happens to mess up their plans. When he suddenly starts seeing her in a different way it kind of freaks him out and he says some pretty stupid things to her. It took a little while for him to realize just how idiotic he had been, but I loved the way he came out of it at the end.
I loved Paul's daughter Cassie. She is one of those girls that really has it all together. I loved seeing her tease Paul about everything from his eating habits to his clumsiness around Bonnie. I also liked her not so subtle way of pushing them together.
Dan was an only child of parents who had problems letting him live his own life. They didn't understand his desire to write and showed their disapproval that he didn't follow them into medicine or law. So he has spent the last several years going from place to place writing his travel articles. When he arrives at Bride Mountain to write his article about the B and B, he is impressed by what he sees. He is rather amused by Kinley's attempts to keep all their interactions business related. He would like to pursue the attraction between them as long as she understands that it would be a no strings thing. I really enjoyed seeing the fun he had getting her all flustered. I also liked the way that he stepped in to help her with the bride's mother during the wedding festivities. He was very good at seeing Kinley for who she is and why she is the way she is. His growing feelings for him scared him off for awhile as he doubted his ability to be what she needed. I loved what he said at the end and how they decided to make things work.
I also enjoyed the setting of the book. Southwestern Virginia is a beautiful place and I loved the descriptions. I also loved the whole wedding scenario. There were some pretty funny moments with Kinley and the others dealing with the obnoxious mother of the bride. Many of the situations showed both Kinley and Dan doing what they do best and gave great insight into who they are. I liked the hints of the subject of the next book in the series.
I liked Garrett. He is doing the best he can. He loves his daughters and gave up his air force career so that he could give them a stable home life. His mother and grandmother help as much as they can but they tend to be a little overprotective. On top of Garrett's own insecurities about keeping them safe the girls are feeling pretty smothered. They want a mother who will be on their side. They are frequent visitors to the Bell family resort and they think Maggie will be the perfect mom for them. As they talk their dad into a week long vacation there, they do their best to throw the two together. Garrett has always noticed Maggie but is not interested in trying marriage again. But he is enjoying her company and the chance to have some time away from his family. He grows to care more for Maggie than he is comfortable with. He's ten years older than she is and knows she enjoys traveling and going out with her friends and feels that she wouldn't be happy with a life with him. I really enjoyed watching Garrett as he tried to cope with having a teenage daughter who was really pushing against the restrictions of her life. The protective dad was in full force but he was also trying to listen to Maggie as she would give him ideas on how to cope. He had a hard time asking for or accepting help but also knew he needed it. I loved the final scenes with the sick family and Maggie's rescue of them.
Maggie was pretty cool. She works at the family resort and has a great way of being able to deal with all sorts of people. She has been aware of Garrett for some time and is always nice to his two daughters. She relates well to them, but is very glad that she doesn't have to raise them as she would worry about doing the right things. While the family is vacationing there she finds herself spending more time with Garrett. There is a lot about him that appeals to her and the attraction is hard to fight also. The more time she spent with him the more she came to care even though they had agreed that there was no future for them. I loved seeing her explain the concept of "me time" to Garrett and how it was necessary in order to avoid getting overly stressed. I loved seeing her help out with the girls and how well she did without realizing it. I really liked her take charge attitude at the end and how she finally accepted that she was better at parenting than she thought she was.
I really liked both Hannah and Andrew. Hannah no longer trusts her instincts when it comes to men and relationships. She was attracted to Andrew while he was helping them but after giving in to her attraction that night she was afraid to trust herself. She refused to tell anyone who the father of her baby was while she was trying to decide what to do. She knew she had to tell Andrew, especially since his twin was going to be part of her family. When he showed up she asked him not to say anything until she could find a way to tell the family. I felt bad for her because she was so worried about being able to trust herself. She knew that she loved him and that he wasn't anything like her ex, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe that a relationship would last. She was also determined that she would stand on her own feet and not depend on anyone else to take care of her. She tended to take that attitude a little too far when Andrew tried to protect her from the attacks on her. I did like the way that she wanted to be sure that he was involved in the baby's life. I also liked the way that she refused to allow him to talk her into marriage for what she saw as the wrong reasons.
Andrew was great. He seemed kind of uptight as Aaron's brother in the first book, but in this one we just see him as a bit of a workaholic. I loved the way that he immediately jumped to the right conclusion when Aaron mentioned Hannah's pregnancy in passing. He quickly made the trip to the resort to talk to her in person. I really liked the way that he let her know he intended to be involved but that he also will let her decide how to tell her family. I thought that the way that he watched out for her was really sweet especially since he was trying not to give anything away. While he had not intended to become a father this soon I loved the way that he was so excited about the baby. The sonogram scene was especially emotional. He was pretty clueless about his proposal and I loved the way that Shelby called him a dummy - twice - because of it. I also liked the way his aunt told him to answer three questions and then think about his proposal again. I loved the closeness of both families even though Andrew got so frustrated with the constant interruptions every time he tried to have a talk with Hannah.
Shelby is the accountant for the resort. The previous year she had discovered that her brother in law was stealing from the family, which is how Andrew got involved with the resort. While she initially mistook Aaron for Andrew, she quickly realized that there was something different about him. She also never felt the things for Andrew that she did for Aaron. Now she has asked Aaron for his help with a guest that she feels is up to no good. I really liked the way that she trusted her instincts even when the rest of the family was giving her a hard time about it. I loved her intensity in everything she did. She wasn't sure that she could trust her feelings for Aaron after such a short time, but she couldn't resist them either. I loved her decision at the end that this was one "fish" she was going to keep instead of throwing back.
I loved the various family relationships. It was easy to see that Aaron's family and their nagging was driving him away. Even though Andrew was Aaron's twin he seemed awfully judgmental. Shelby's family seemed to take for granted that everyone would be happy sticking around and working for the resort. I liked the way that Aaron and Shelby's brother Steven got along and could relate to each other so easily. I'm looking forward to Andrew's story - sounds like he's got quite a surprise coming!
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