Avery Crosslin has moved from New York City to Texas to
work with her sister Mia on establishing a wedding planning
business. She is leaving behind a failed designing career
and the humiliation of being jilted at the altar by her
fiancé. While directing a fancy society wedding, Avery
mistakes Joe Travis as a wedding photographer. After
realizing her mistake and that Joe is part of THAT Travis
family - rich, well connected, and a hot, eligible
bachelor - she tries to avoid him in her embarrassment. Joe
will have none of it. He is intrigued by the evasive
Avery, and eventually corners her for a dance.
Although he is quite persistent, Avery continues to ignore
Joe's phone calls and texts until a chance meeting at a
party throws them together once again. This time, Joe
won't let Avery get away without a promise to at least take
his calls, if not see him again. Joe is patient enough to
woo the recalcitrant Avery until she can be persuaded to
come around to his way of thinking; and to open the gun-shy
woman up to a relationship with him.
After such a long wait for Joe's story, BROWN-EYED GIRL is
a fantastic undertaking for Lisa Kleypas. Both Joe and
Avery are endearing characters. Joe is as down to earth as
the rest of the family, with a solid career of his own as a
photographer. Avery is conscious of her slightly larger
than average figure, without being all 'oh woe is me, I'm
fat' about it. Joe loved her lush curves, however. There
is quite a bit of interaction with the rest of the Travis
family; a huge treat for fans of the series.
I liked that it is the hot, hunky, Joe doing the pursuing,
and making Avery feel truly wanted; even though he is as
hot an eligible bachelor as Hardy, Jack, and Gage. My one
big complaint is that BROWN-EYED GIRL is a rather short
read. I wanted more after waiting so many years for a new
book in the Travis Family series. There is a good deal
of book time spent on the Travis family as well as on
Avery's sister Mia, Steven, and her wedding planning
business and clients. All this is well and good, but it
shortened the time that Avery and Joe spent together
building a relationship. There should have been more about
them as a couple, and it left me feeling a bit shortchanged
in that area.
I will gladly take what I can get, though. BROWN-EYED GIRL
is warm, endearing, and very sexy. Lisa Kleypas has
brought her A-game to this book, giving the longtime fans
of the series a new Travis to sigh over. This is an
excellent entry to the Travis Family series; too bad it
is the last Travis for Kleypas to write about. The author
has done an excellent job bringing the dynamics of this
family to life for the reader.
Wedding planner Avery Crosslin may be a rising star in Houston society, but she doesn't believe in love-at least not for herself. When she meets wealthy bachelor Joe Travis and mistakes him for a wedding photographer, she has no intention of letting him sweep her off her feet. But Joe is a man who goes after what he wants, and Avery can't resist the temptation of a sexy southern charmer and a hot summer evening. After a one night stand, however, Avery is determined to keep it from happening again. A man like Joe can only mean trouble for a woman like her, and she can't afford distractions. She's been hired to plan the wedding of the year-a make-or- break event. But complications start piling up fast, putting the wedding in jeopardy, especially when shocking secrets of the bride come to light. And as Joe makes it clear that he's not going to give up easily, Avery is forced to confront the insecurities and beliefs that stem from a past she would do anything to forget. The situation reaches a breaking point, and Avery faces the toughest choice of her life. Only by putting her career on the line and risking everything-including her well-guarded heart-will she find out what matters most.