"delightful look at searching for love"
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted January 31, 2013
Romance | Romance Contemporary
She's had enough boy friends; she'd like to have a
boyfriend. Each time she thinks she's found Mr. Right it
turns out he's also looking for his Mr. Right. Gee what's a
girl to do. Dating has really become a complicated deal
and if she doesn't get it right pretty soon she is just
going to give it up. She's even resorting to becoming her
very own private eye tailing her newest date to make sure
there are no surprises. He's got to pass her battery of
tests before she invests anything in a relationship even if
he is dreamy and wonderful. Oh no fool her once, maybe
twice, oh okay three times but that's it, she has
definitely learned her lesson.
Self deprecating humor at its best and maybe that's why I'm
such a fan. Intelligent dialog with just the right amount
of zing, kind of that gotcha moment while you are reading
that makes you laugh out loud and look to see if anyone is
watching. Love it. She just knows that she has to stop going after these
emotionally unavailable men, but history has a way of
repeating itself and for her well her past keeps coming
back and biting her in the butt. It could look like some
kind of horrible joke that life keeps playing on her.
Jeremy gorgeous, intelligent, and caring who loved her
deeply of this she was absolutely sure of turns out to be
gay. Only he doesn't fully realize that fact about himself
until they are at the altar right smack in the middle of
taking their vows. Well can life get any better than that?
So not only does she lose her almost husband, the love of
her life but she also has to face the fact that this meant
losing her life-long best friend. Faith Holland has a remarkably lovable and quirky family, a
family that did an amazing job of taking care of each other
after the death of their mother. In truth each had to move
past their own sorrow missing the woman who had been center
of all their lives and had been taken away too young. Faith
has her own demons to conquer since she harbors guilt over
her part in the tragic car accident. But through all that
she had her family and Jeremy. Jeremy was her first love
but even more important he was her very best friend. It was
natural that the two of them become a couple and eventually
plan the wedding that would include so many of the people
that knew both families. The Lyons and Hollands were a
force to reckon with when it came to wine making. Both were
family owned and operated and although it provided both
families with the means for a very good life, neither were
the types to put on airs. And yet for Levi Cooper it was that life style that had
prevented him from acting on his feelings for Faith, that
and the fact that her fiancé was his best friend. Oh what a
tangled web we weave. Here's where it really gets
interesting. Levi is about to drop quite a bomb at the
wedding of Faith and Jeremy. It leaves Faith in an
untenable situation and so she leaves her hometown to start
her career on the west coast. No matter how much she loves
San Francisco she knows her heart is back home. But even
she is unprepared for her attraction to Levi who honestly
lacks any real communication skills. Rather than continue
to be put off by how close mouthed Levi is, especially to
Faith, she purposely eggs him on. And Levi begins to
realize there is a lot he never saw about the princess.
Kristan Higgins is brilliant at developing story lines that
build to a very satisfying conclusion. Her books have
substance and panache. I would love to have Faith as a
friend and spend time with her irreverent family. THE BEST
MAN is a
story you will just want to wrap your heart around. Looking
for a great read - this is it.
SUMMARY
Sometimes the best man is who you least expect.... Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the
altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return
to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront
the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red.
After all, there's some great scenery there.... Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief-and best friend of
her former fiance. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never
noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only
catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped
ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a
minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the
roses, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron,
and finish that walk down the aisle.
ExcerptLevi Cooper, chief of police of the entire Manningsport
Police Department, all two and a half of them, tried to
give people a break. He did. Even the tourists with the
lead feet, Red Sox stickers on their bumpers and complete
disregard for speed limits. He parked the cruiser in plain
sight, the radar gun clearly visible—Hi there,
welcome to Manningsport, you're going way too fast and here
I am, about to pull you over, so slow down, pal. The town
depended on visitors, and September was prime tourism
season; the leaves were starting to turn, buses had been
rolling in and out of town all week, and every vineyard in
the area had some special event going on.
But the law was the law.
Plus, he'd just let Colleen O'Rourke off with a stern
lecture and a warning while she tried to look remorseful.
So another speeder just wasn't going to be tolerated
today. This one, for example. Seventeen miles an hour over
the limit, more than enough. Also, an
out–of–towner; he could see the rental plates
from here. The car was a painfully bright yellow Honda
Civic, currently clocking in at forty–two miles per
hour in a twenty–five mile–an–hour zone.
What if Carol Robinson and her merry band of geriatric
power–walkers were out? What if the Nebbins kid was
riding his bike? There hadn't been a fatal crash in
Manningsport since he'd been chief, and Levi planned on
keeping it that way.
The yellow car sailed past him, not even a tap on the
brakes. The driver wore a baseball cap and big sunglasses.
Female. With a sigh, Levi put on the lights, gave the siren
a blip and pulled onto the road. She didn't seem to notice.
He hit the siren again, and the driver seemed to realize
that yes, he was talking to her, and pulled over.
Grabbing his ticket pad, Levi got out of the cruiser.
Wrote down the license plate number, then went over to the
driver's side, where the window was lowering. "Welcome to
Manningsport," he said, not smiling.
Shit.
It was Faith Holland. A giant Golden Retriever shoved
its head out of the window and barked once, wagging happily.
"Levi," she said, as if they'd seen each other last week
at O'Rourke's.
"Holland. You visiting?"
"Wow. That's amazing. How did you guess?"
He looked at her, not amused, and let a few beats pass.
It worked; her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. "So.
Forty–two in a twenty–five
mile–an–hour zone," he said.
"I thought it was thirty–five," she said.
"We dropped it last year."
The dog whined, so Levi petted him, making the dog try
to crawl over Faith's head.
"Blue, get back," Faith ordered.
Blue. Right. Same dog as from a few years ago.
"Levi, how about a warning? I have a, um, a family
emergency, so if you could drop the cop act, that'd be
super." She gave him a tight smile, almost meeting his
eyes, and pushed her hair behind one ear.
"What's the emergency?" he said.
"My grandfather is...uh...he's not feeling well. Goggy's
concerned."
"Should you lie about stuff like that?" he asked. Levi
was well acquainted with the elder Hollands, as they made
up about ten percent of his work week. And if Mr. Holland
really was under the weather, he'd bet Mrs. Holland would
be picking out his funeral clothes and planning a cruise.
Faith sighed. "Look, Levi. I just took the red–eye
from San Francisco. Can you give me a break? Sorry I was
going too fast." She tapped her fingers on the steering
wheel. "I'll take a warning. Can I go now?"
"License and registration, please."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Still got that
branch up your ass, I see."
"License and registration, and please exit the vehicle."
She mumbled something under her breath, then groped
around in the glove compartment, her shirt coming out of
her jeans to reveal a patch of creamy flesh. Looked like
the fitness revolution had passed her by; then again, she'd
always been a little lush ripe chunky, ever since he could
remember. The dog took the opportunity to shove his head
out again, so Levi scratched him behind the ear.
Faith slammed the glove box shut, shoved some papers in
Levi's hand, got out of the car, nearly hitting him with
the door. "Stay put, Blue." She didn't look at Levi.
He glanced at her license, then at her.
"Yes, it's a bad picture," she snapped. "Want a tissue
sample?"
"I don't think that'll be necessary. This has expired,
though. Another fine."
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms under her
chest. Still had that amazing rack.
"How was Afghanistan?" she asked, looking over his
shoulder.
"Really great. I'm thinking of getting a summer place
there."
"You know what I wonder, Levi? Why are some people
always such hemorrhoids? You ever wonder that?"
"I do. Are you aware that antagonizing an officer of the
law is a felony?"
"Really. How fascinating. Can you get it in gear,
please? I want to see my family."
He signed the paper and handed it to her. She wadded it
up and tossed it in the car. "Am I free to go, Officer?"
"It's Chief now," he said.
"See someone about that branch." She got into the car
and drove off. Not too fast, though not slowly, either.
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