Pub Date: May 26, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin
Length: 368 pages
FTC: ARC courtesy of the publisher
It's a happy, happy day when I get to read a book by Maisey Yates. She has a very strong writing voice which is funny, emotional, and not just a little bit sarcastic. Most are also on the lighter side, although that is not the case with this one. All of that is to say that I tend to start every Maisey book predisposed to like it. It's also a friends-to-lovers story which are like catnip for me.
This is the second book in the Copper Ridge trilogy. I've read the first one, but of course didn't review it because I'm the laziest blogger on the planet. Or busiest. Whatever. We meet most of the characters in book one, but this is definitely a stand alone novel.
This book deals with some heavy issues. Connor Garrett's wife was killed in a car accident three years ago. He's been going through the motions, drinking himself into oblivion every night with only his brother, sister, and two friends to keep him from going full on hermit. He's still somewhat functioning—he has a ranch to run, after all—but he's made little progress moving through his grief.
Felicity Foster aka Liss has loved Connor forever. She's content to play crutch or a friend as long as Connor needs her. She was good friends with Connor's late wife, and is careful to keep her deeper feelings hidden. That challenge becomes a bit harder when she loses her rental and can't get a new one. Connor offers her a room at his place which throws them in close proximity to one another. And once Connor starts seeing Liss a a woman instead of his friend, the chemistry that they had been ignoring ignites.
One of the things I loved about this book is the careful way Yates portrays grief. It's not neat and tidy. It doesn't follow the "stages" in careful, progressive order. Grief changes everything, including how people interact with you. There is a real effort here to do justice to the deep well of sorrow that has consumed Connor. He has to claw his way out of that and it isn't easy or miraculous, even with the changes he makes once he begins to alter his relationship with Liss.
There's still plenty of sass and smart ass humor to lighten what could otherwise be an emotionally heavy book. Yates writes compelling characters with real world problems and real world emotions. She doesn't skimp on anything, but the dialogue and her characters make her one of my favorite contemporary romance authors.
My only minor issue with the book is that I wanted a bigger, more drawn out grovel scene at the end. Connor has been put through the wringer, but he absolutely devastates Liss when he abruptly ends their relationship. I wanted a bigger "OH" moment for him. I wanted Liss to take a second, or a day, to really process his apology. It seemed a little rushed at the end.
My Grade: A-
The Blurb:
There are lines best friends shouldn't cross, but in Copper Ridge, Oregon, the temptation might be too much…
If practice makes perfect, Connor Garrett should be world champion of being alone. Since losing his wife he's concentrated exclusively on his family's ranch. Until Felicity Foster needs a place to stay and Connor invites her to move in temporarily. That's what friends do. What friends don't do? Start fantasizing about each other in their underwear. Or out of it…
Since high school, Liss has kept her raging crush in check. But helping Connor rebuild his life only reinforces how much she longs to be a part of it. One explosive encounter, and she'll discover that getting what you always wanted can feel better than you ever dreamed…
There are lines best friends shouldn't cross, but in Copper Ridge, Oregon, the temptation might be too much…
If practice makes perfect, Connor Garrett should be world champion of being alone. Since losing his wife he's concentrated exclusively on his family's ranch. Until Felicity Foster needs a place to stay and Connor invites her to move in temporarily. That's what friends do. What friends don't do? Start fantasizing about each other in their underwear. Or out of it…
Since high school, Liss has kept her raging crush in check. But helping Connor rebuild his life only reinforces how much she longs to be a part of it. One explosive encounter, and she'll discover that getting what you always wanted can feel better than you ever dreamed…
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