It Began with a Crush - Lilian Darcy (HSE #2307 - Jan 2014)

Series: Cherry Sisters (Book 3)

Gorgeous Joe Capelli is back in town. Will a summer fling with former classmate Mary Jane Cherry lead to something more? 

Fifteen years ago, Joe Capelli left town to make his way in Hollywood--leaving Mary Jane Cherry behind to nurse her secret crush. So why is he suddenly back in town, working at his dad's garage--on her car? With twin little daughters, no less? 

All Mary Jane's ever wanted is a husband and family. She knows that desire normally sends guys running in the opposite direction. Yet as her old crush on Joe revives itself, dare she believe that gorgeous Joe actually wants her, too--and for more than just a steamy summer affair?

Good book.  I've been waiting for Mary Jane to have her dreams come true. She has always looked forward to having a husband and family of her own.  She spent a long time in a relationship with a man who seemed to be the one, but always put off any kind of commitment.  When she finally confronted him about it, he admitted he wasn't interested in that kind of future.  Brokenhearted she ended the relationship and figured that family may not be in her future.  She is happy for her two younger sisters who have found loves of their own, but also a little envious.  Then she runs into Joe Capelli, her high school crush.  He's changed from  the cocky teenager who was going to set Hollywood on fire, and is home with his twin daughters and working in his dad's garage.  Mary Jane feels an instant connection with him and senses that he's just as interested.  As they spend time together both with and without his girls, she feels herself falling for him.  But she's afraid that it's too fast and fears that she's forcing the relationship into her idea of a perfect life.  I really enjoyed seeing Mary Jane finally getting a shot at her own dreams.  She's marvelous with the two little girls and you can see that they like her too.  Her relationship with Joe is great.  She has been able to help him with his worries about the girls while at the same time having an intensely personal relationship too.  I just wish she had trusted her feelings a little bit more and saved them a little bit of heartache.

Joe left town years ago, swearing he would become the next great star.  He had some success, but ended up marrying a woman as ambitious as he was but weaker.  After giving birth to his twins her career started going downhill aided by her drug use and irresponsibility.  Joe divorced her but couldn't get custody of the girls until after she was proved unfit.  Since then he has been raising them on his own as he readjusts his plans for the future.  The girls are pretty mischievous and he worries that they may have inherited problems from their mother.  He decides to move back home and help his dad in his garage for awhile.  Meeting Mary Jane again reminds him of the good things from his past.  He likes the changes he sees in her and is attracted to her.  Noticing that she's looking back they decide to see where it might go.  I loved how determined he is to give the girls a better life than they'd had before.  He sees how good Mary Jane is with them which gets him thinking about the possibility of a future with her.  He also knows that what he feels with her is something far stronger than he's ever felt before.  It feels right to him and when it's right, it's right.  But his certainty doesn't seem to be meshing with Mary Jane's and he wonders if maybe he read something that wasn't there.  I liked the way that he didn't totally give up on her and they were able to talk things out. 

The Baby Made at Christmas - Lilian Darcy (HSE #2297 - Nov 2013)

Series: Cherry Sisters (Book 2)

Independent Lee knew she had a cushy life in Aspen. A great job as a ski instructor, a luxury home (well, the caretaker's apartment, but it was right on the slopes). And a new fling with new coworker Mac Wheeler. He was handsome, athletic, sexy -- après-ski had just gotten a whole lot better!

Only it was never meant to get serious. She's pregnant. Mac's baby, conceived at Christmas. Overnight, her plans change: she's moving back East to work at the family hotel with her sisters.

But the real shock is. . . Mac has followed her.
Yes, 1,700 miles!
Determined to be. . . what - angry? Sure.
Daddy? Guess so.
Husband. . . ? Who knew. . . !

Overall a pretty good book.  Lee is living the life she wants.  She's got a great job as a ski instructor in the winter, guide in the summer.  She can do whatever she wants, when she wants to.  When she meets Mac the chemistry between them is hot.  Neither one is interested in anything serious, both are independent and like their space.  The Lee discovers she's pregnant and has some decisions to make.  So she tells Mac and then leaves town to go home to her family.  A week later Mac shows up, determined to be part of the baby's life.  But is that all he wants?

I had some trouble warming up to Lee.  Sometimes her independence felt pretty selfish to me.  She seemed far more concerned with how their relationship affected her and not too worried about Mac's feelings.  Once she discovered she was pregnant she dropped the bombshell on him, told him she was headed home and that was that.  She sure didn't expect him to give up his job and follow her.  She's having a hard time dealing with his overprotectiveness and starts to feel smothered until they agree to take things a day at a time.  As time went on and they got closer she still worried that they were together for the wrong reasons.  She didn't want him to be there just because of the baby, but she was afraid to expect more.  Her fears nearly drove him away permanently until she was finally able to face them.

Mac really liked Lee and enjoyed their time together.  He appreciated her independence and that she wasn't the clinging type of woman.  He was blindsided by her pregnancy announcement, which brought back some bad memories.  Years earlier a girlfriend had gotten pregnant but carried her independence too far and took a lot of risks.  She ended up having a snowboarding accident that caused her to lose the baby, devastating Mac.  Now he's watching Lee like a hawk to make sure she doesn't do the same thing, not ready to believe her when she says she won't take risks.  He finally starts to relax but they still avoid any talk of the future.  When Mac admits to himself that he wants it all he still has to try to convince Lee.

I think my biggest frustration with both Mac and Lee was their inability to actually talk to each other about their feelings and their dreams for the future.  If they had stopped with the day to day lifestyle they would have been happier.  I sure hope that they get the hang of it soon.

The One Who Changed Everything - Lilian Darcy (HSE #2282 - Sept 2013)

Series: Cherry Sisters (Book 1)

Daisy Cherry hasn't seen rugged landscaper Tucker Reid for ten years. Not since the wedding between him and her sister had been called off, just before the big day!

Now she's hired a landscaper to fix the grounds of her parents' Adirondack resort, Spruce Bay. Yes, it's Tucker -- he's the best man for the job. Surely that's okay after all this time?

Er…no. Her parents go mad. Her big sister disapproves. And her younger sister, Tucker's ex, doesn't know -- yet. And none of them know that the instant, wild, intense attraction between Daisy and Tucker has bubbled into a secret affair. That would be explosive. Dynamite. But when it's this good with Tucker, isn't it worth the family fallout…?

Good book.  Daisy is back home at Spruce Bay after ending her relationship in California.  Her parents are retiring and she and her sisters will be running her parents' resort.  It is in need of refurbishing, including the grounds, and the best person for that is Tucker Reid.  Tucker had been engaged to her middle sister until they called it off right before the wedding.  She figures there's been enough time go by that it won't be a problem.  But her oldest sister and parents aren't happy about it and let her know it.  But Daisy still wants Tucker to do the job, plus she has had an instant attraction to him.  She wants to pursue it, he's reluctant at first.  Can they get past their individual issues to have a future together?

I liked Daisy.  She knows that enough time has passed that there's no reason not to have Tucker do their landscaping - after all, he's the best.  She doesn't expect the intense attraction she feels for him.  She's cautious about getting involved with him.  Her relationship in California had started with intensity, but after getting more involved she realized that his romantic exterior hid a rotten core.  Now she doesn't trust her feelings completely and worries that she's falling too hard and too fast.  I really liked the way that Daisy didn't let Tucker's past with the family stop her from hiring Tucker.  I loved the way that they worked together so well.  Daisy also did a great job of getting Tucker to open up about his past and the issues with his father.  She soon saw that those issues were at the root of some of the problems they were having.  She also realized that her own issues were causing her to judge Tucker by unfairly comparing him to her ex.

Tucker was a conflicted man.  He had broken off his engagement to Daisy's sister all those years ago when he realized that what he felt for her wasn't love but a deep friendship.  This was brought home to him when he met Daisy and was attracted to her.  He was horrified with himself and saw his actions as like those of his father.  Ten years later he finds that he's still attracted to Daisy.  He has a reason he can't pursue that attraction at first and I love the sense of honor that he shows.  Once he's free to do so things move fast.  He is so into her that many other things start to mean less.  When he has a confrontation with Daisy's older sister he once again sees his father in his own actions.  It makes him feel that he doesn't deserve a chance at happiness.  It takes some straight talk from Daisy to get him to see why he does what he does.  I enjoyed the ending.