WARNING:
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.
Synopsis
from Goodreads: Small-town
mechanic Zachary Drake had no illusions about his longtime friendship
with winsome, wholesome Karen McKaslin -- even after she called off
her wedding to the local pastor. Zach simply intended to lend a
grease-stained hand and a sympathetic ear to a pal in need, and keep
his secret longing to himself...
Having
narrowly escaped a loveless marriage, Karen was counting her
blessings. Now she could transform herself into a woman worthy of
being loved for all eternity. She never dreamed Mr. Right was waiting
for her on the wrong side of the tracks, praying she'd see in his
eyes what he didn't dare say...
Stats
for my copy:
Mass market paperback, Steeple Hill Books, 2002.
How
acquired: Bought.
My
thoughts: Despite
the fact that I list Jillian Hart as one of my favorite category
romance authors, her books are usually hit or miss for me. Of the
McKaslin Clan series, I've read two previously, BLIND-DATE BRIDE,
which I could barely finish, and SWEET BLESSINGS, which is one of my
all time top ten favorite books – and the reason I keep reading
her. (Seriously, for a wonderful character study of a broken man, you
need to read it.) So when I realized this book was the first McKaslin
Clan book, I dove in, and am happy to report that it was a hit.
I
loved the characters, especially Zach, and I loved the continual
banter between Zach and Karen, which Ms. Hart does very well. When
the book opens Karen has broken off an engagement to Jay when she
realizes he isn't marrying her out of love. Her parents are upset and disappointed, her mother, who is pushing her to get back
together with Jay. I almost wished there had been more about Karen
and Jay and what led up to her realizing she couldn't marry him, and
more conflict between Karen and her parents over that broken
engagement, just to add more depth. Zach's mother was a drunk who
spent all her time in bars while Zach took care of his younger
siblings and often went hungry, and when she showed up on his
doorstep, I expected a predictable subplot about Zach, who is filled
with hate for his mother, coming to terms with her alcohol addiction
and learning to forgive her. So I was quite surprised when he gave
her some money and put her on a bus out of town, telling her not to
come back. And I was glad that story arc carried out the way it did,
which to me was very realistic.
My
only issue with the story, and it's a minor one but it's also a pet
peeve of mine, is that Zach winked way too often. At one point he
winked at Karen three times in two pages. And then on the next page
Gramma winked. But after that either the winking dropped off, or I
was too caught up in the story to note it.
A
sweet story about two people from the same small town but with very
different backgrounds, coming to terms with what they want in a
partner and more importantly, realizing that they deserve to be with
the one they love regardless of backgrounds or what anyone else in
town thinks. I laughed out loud several times, and I cried a couple
of times.
