Review: Very good contemporary romance :D
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2014
4 starsThis was a very good story. I liked both Alexa and Dillon and really enjoyed their story. This is the first story I've read by this author and based off this I’m likely to read more of her work in the future.Alexa had things pretty easy growing up and once she was an adult she was a carefree party girl. However; things changed when the owner of the flower shop she worked in as a flower designer died and left her the business. Unfortunately, the business came with a lot of past due bills and Alexa has been trying desperately to keep her shop up and running. She recently had to sell her dream home in order to use the money she got from the sale to pay off some overdue bills and keep the shop going. Since selling her home, Alexa moved in to a studio in the building above her shop…unfortunately she had issues with the place as soon as she moved in.Dillon is the son of a family that has done well for itself and has a thriving business consisting of 10 Value Hardware stores and a number of income properties. Dillon and his brother, Cory, are supposed to be taking over the family business sooner than expected as their parents are retiring and moving to a better climate for his father’s health. Dillon isn't much on working in an office and tends to do the more physical side of the work, like fixing up the income properties they own. Dillon tends to enjoy life and not take it as seriously as some seem to think he should.Alexa is trying to settle in to her new apartment but while trying to get water for cleaning; her faucet sprays her with water and then starts leaking. Alexa goes to find the building manager and finds someone pulling up flooring in an empty apartment. The worker ends up being Dillon and she gets him to come to her apartment and work on her sink thinking that he’s the building’s handyman. While Dillon is over there, it becomes apparent that Alexa hates the Value Hardware stores and wonders why. He intends to tell her who he is but it doesn't end up happening before he has to leave to get a part for her sink. Later, after a particularly depressing dinner with her pregnant and very happily married best friend, Alexa isn't in the greatest of moods. She goes to the building roof for some peace and quiet and runs in to Dillon while there. Things spike between them and they jump each other in a storm of sexual heat. They have a hot and sexy interlude on the roof (in the rain which I kind of liked) but Alexa states that it’s only for one night and then that’s it. They split off afterwards but both of them have trouble brushing the encounter off and secretly they both want to see each other again. Dillon isn't sure what to do though because he likes Alexa and wants to see her again but knows she’ll get pissed when she finds out who his family is. Dillon decides to find out why Alexa dislikes Value Hardware so much and finds out that Cory is trying to push Alexa's business out of the building they own in order to move the business of a woman he wants to date in to Alexa's storefront. It soon becomes clear that Cory behaved like a jerk towards Alexa and she probably has some valid reasons for the dislike.Dillon visits Alexa again and finds that he wants to help her. He also likes her shop and sees a lot of potential in it. Dillon has his MBA and thinks he could help Alexa but knows if he tells her who his family is, she’ll refuse to let him help her so he uses this as an excuse to not tell her who he is. They start spending time together both in and out of bed. Alexa is happily surprised as Dillon comes around more and spends time with her and actually seems interested in her shop. Dillon makes some suggestions which cause her to bristle a bit but she soon realizes that some of his suggestions are good ones and when she implements them they help her business. Dillon is happily surprised to find that while working with Alexa, he’s found some of the love of business he thought he’d lost (which is why he tended to work more on the physical work of the family business) and starts looking forward to taking on more of the work once his parents retire. After a couple weeks, things are going very well for Dillon and Alexa and they’re both falling for each other. Alexa's business has picked up and she’s starting to get her confidence back. She’s also very grateful to Dillon for being there to encourage her when she was down and the suggestions he made that helped her business do better. Dillon is very happy with the way things are going except that he still has to tell Alexa the truth about his family and he’s not thrilled about her reaction. As expected, Alexa doesn't take the news well when he tells her and there’s heartbreak and drama on both sides as they both try to work through things. Fortunately, Dillon isn't willing to give up on Alexa and with some thinking and soul-searching, Alexa comes to the right conclusions and they end the story starting their HEA together.I enjoyed this story a lot. Alexa and Dillon are both very good characters and I couldn't help liking them. The plot is pretty typical for this type of story but it was well done and I couldn't help rooting for Dillon & Alexa to get their HEA. I'd recommend this story. 2 thumbs up. :D