"Poignant story of love, commitment and family"
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
Posted April 20, 2016
Romance Contemporary
NHL hockey player Jordan Kincade receives a phone call
which changes his life. His brother Ryan delivers news that
their parents have been killed in a helicopter crash.
Jordan's team is in the Stanley Cup playoffs and he has a
big decision to make, stay with his team or travel home to
be with his family. A BETTER MAN is the first book in Candis Terry's Sunshine
Vineyard series. Ms. Terry is a suburb storyteller. She
creates fascinating characters that readers can identify
with and includes many real-life issues in her stories.
Jordan Kincade is wrestling with the family vs. career
choice many of us deal with each day. He left home at
eighteen for a career as a professional hockey player and
never looked back. Jordan's struggle to balance his career
and family drew me into the novel. During the reading of
his parent's will, Jordan notices all of the family photos
in the living room. It bothers him that he's not in any of
the photos. Jordan realizes that he has missed a lot of
time with his family by putting his career first and
decides to extend his bereavement time. Ryan asks Jordan
to help their sister Nicki who is failing high school
English and may not graduate. Jordan meets with Nicole's teacher, Lucy Diamond. It is
obvious to Jordan that Lucy cares about Nicole and sees
Nicole's potential. Something about Lucy seems familiar to
Jordan. He doesn't remember that he asked Lucy to be his
date for a graduation party and stood her up when he was
drafted by the NHL. Lucy wants to help Nicole even if
Jordan doesn't remember her! These scenes are well written
and touching and show how a great teacher can positively
influence her students. Lucy asks Jordan some simple
questions about his sister that he can't answer and
challenges Jordan to prove his commitment to Nicole. Loved
this couple and their commitment to work together to help
Nicole. Second chance romances are my favorite romance
stories and I enjoyed reading how this couple's
relationship developed from friendship to romance. Jordan
and Lucy brought out the best in each other. Seventeen-year old Nicole Kincade is my favorite character.
The author has done a fabulous job crafting
this teenager who is dealing with several issues. I smiled
when the author wrote that Nicole gave the baby dragon look
to her brothers as I could imagine Nicole's face and
attitude. Jordan understands that Nicole is withdrawn
after her parent's death and with Lucy's help tries to draw
her out by encouraging her interest in music, drawing and
writing. A BETTER MAN is a brilliant story about a man's commitment
to be a better person. Candis Terry is able to use a
tragedy to bring the Kincade family together and at the
same time show Jordan that his parent's death provides him
with the opportunity to change his life. Ms. Terry
effortlessly blends every-day issues into the storyline
that readers can identify and emphasize. She gets
all the little details right—from the description of Lucy's
feminine home, her dog Ziggy's on going gastric issues to
the type of gel pens that Jordan buys for Nicole—and mixes
in just the right amount of humor. The second chance at
romance between Jordan and Lucy is perfectly written and
there are several heartfelt scenes which brought me to
tears. Loved the supporting characters in A BETTER MAN and the
ongoing mystery concerning the vineyard. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
SUMMARY
Meet the Kincade brothers: they’ll do what it takes to
protect their legacy—but what happens when love gets in
the way? Hockey star Jordan Kincade wasted no time ditching
Sunshine Valley and everyone who mattered for a career in
the NHL—a truth Jordan confronts when his parents’ deaths
bring him home. Now he’s back to make amends, which
begins with keeping his younger sister from flunking out
of school. It’s just his luck that the one person who can
help is the girl whose heart he broke years ago. Lucy Diamond has racked up a number of monumental
mistakes in her life, the first involving a certain blue-
eyed charmer. She has no intention of falling for Jordan
Kincade again, but when he shows up asking her to help
one of her students, Lucy just can’t say no. Worse, the
longer he’s back, the more she sees how much he’s
changed. And so when a blistering kiss turns to more, she
can’t help but wonder if her heart will be crushed again
. . . or if she’ll discover true love with a better man
What do you think about this review?
Comments
2 comments posted.
Re: Poignant story of love, commitment and family
Fabulous review, Susan. Glad you liked it.
(Lisa Hutson 11:21am April 21, 2016)
Terrific review.
(Gayle Cochrane 11:55pm April 21, 2016)
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