I do enjoy the Whiskey Creek series don't you? Like
all
romance series worth talking about, this has a Christmas
offering. THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS by popular author Brenda
Novak has a lot to live up to, given her usual standard.
Eve Harmon finds a new man in her bed after celebrating
her
thirty-fifth birthday. She wishes she could recall his
name. Careful of her reputation in the small town where
she
runs her parents' B&B, she doesn't usually bring men home.
So who is this attractive guy, and why doesn't she know
him? With the holiday season approaching she'd been going
to spend the time alone. She's actually been thinking of
leaving and trying somewhere new. But her parents are
retired, and could not cope.
Rex McCready dresses and leaves, refusing to give the
pretty girl his name. Even in December he keeps moving,
because anyone who comes close to him is in danger from
unsavoury characters. Pity, because he is genuinely
attracted to Eve, and the quiet life here would be
restful.
A long time ago when he was a troubled kid, he'd fallen in
with a gang. He and a friend turned them over to the
authorities, and went to jail themselves; now the gang
members are after his blood. He runs a security business
by
phone. A lady called Scarlet has been getting stalked, and
Rex makes a snap decision that she could come to Whiskey
Creek for safety.
Matters quickly get complicated, with plenty of bedroom
scenes as Eve makes up for lost time with a man who seems
to be right for her - or is he? She doesn't even know his
real name. To calm down matters we see her helping an old
friend Ted to assemble material for a factual history
book.
Eve has another issue on her mind, and with ruthless
people
homing in on her new boyfriend, Christmas won't be the
same
festive occasion as usual.
I felt that this story was perhaps too complicated, and
the
history book sections seemed to be padding. Eve is
representative of many young women who find themselves at
a
crossroads in life and have to make decisions. With all
her
friends getting paired off I can understand how a newcomer
would strike her as a good partner but I wouldn't plan on
a
relationship with someone who treated me the way Rex
treats
her in the opening chapter. I've liked other Whiskey Creek
men a lot better. Overall THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS is a step
away from the ordinary in terms of holiday reading, and
the
tension mounts without a complete resolution, so Brenda
Novak may have to keep us updated in the books still to
come. As an adult romantic suspense, of course, it's an
involving read.
Just call her Christmas Eve…
Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it
reminds her of everything she doesn't have. Almost all her
friends are married now, and that's what Eve wants, too.
Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she
manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country
town
where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.
Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection
of
her past. There's no one in the area she could even
imagine
as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town.
Eve's
definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same
reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin
Eve's happily ever after—just when it finally seems within
reach. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas
of
her life!