Review: A delightful, fun and sexy small town romance with lovable characters!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 25, 2012
The Best Thing by Jaci BurtonThis was only my second Jaci Burton story and the first time I met the Kent brothers. The Best Thing is the 3rd instalment in the trilogy, after Ethan and Wyatt have found love and wedded bliss this time it's Brody's turn to fall in love. The premise is that at last year's Christmas party Brody and Tori (their spitfire assistant and family friend) kissed, and after more than 10 months of Tori giving the brothers the cold shoulder they decide it's time Brody fixed the problem.I found the small town and the characters very lovable, and though the Kent family tended to be quite overwhelming with their over-the-top meddling I found both the story and its characters charming and wouldn't mind revisiting them by reading the first two books in the series. ;-)Tori and Brody were both nice characters, believable and real. Their chemistry and affection for each other was palpable and Jaci Burton knows how to write both sexy and sweet:[...] stray thoughts of Tori kept filtering through. Her laugh, the way she looked naked, her competitive nature when they'd played video games, or the soft way she snored when she'd fallen asleep while watching movies. He'd never realized how alone he had been until he had her with him all weekend, or how much he'd enjoyed spending time with her. Usually he was all about getting women out of his house. Now all he could think about was when he could get Tori back there.I had two problems with this story:- the first being that I found the setup premise hard to believe: that a person could stay bitchy and give the cold shoulder to not just a guy she has a crush on but at least 2 other people she cares for?[...] she'd been decidedly unhappy for almost a year now, ever since Brody had kissed her at the last company Christmas party.I thought it was way too much for Tori to sulk and brood for almost a year and keep up her unhappy disposition. Also, why did Brody, his brothers and Tori's best friend let things stay this way for so long? Seriously, in real life after such a lengthy period of emo-PMSing there would be high probability of depression...- and the final crisis, you know the big conflict that brings the angst into the story as to will they or won't they? And well I expected much more originality from the story and Jaci Burton than the conflict I got :-( Maybe the reason why I felt so let down by THE conflict was that it was exactly the same as in the first novella (We'll Be Home for Christmas by HelenKay Dimon)And the same problem of the "too much time has elapsed" mentioned above emerged again at the conflict: after their big misunderstanding TWO WEEKS go by without the hero and heroine clearing the air!! Seriously, first he let 10 months go by before having "the talk" after their kiss, and now he let 2 weeks go by without explaining... I don't get it. They are both shaken up and miserable, and two weeks is a very long time when you have a broken heart and feel that the person you love betrayed you. If a guy didn't clear the air in the 2 weeks following a fight I would (rightly!) think that he just doesn't care, so I couldn't understand and accept why the delay was necessary...Oh and yes, the biggest pet peeve of mine: the public declaration: I just don't get it why characters (and maybe some people) think that those things which are said in front of a public carry more weight and are truer than words whispered in private. I just don't get it. I much prefer a heartfelt, honest intimate declaration than a she-bang with fanfare.Verdict: The Best Thing was a delightful, fun and sexy small town romance with lovable characters and great chemistry between the hero and heroine. I had a few problems with the story, which although didn't ruin completely my enjoyment of the story still managed to detract a bit from the dream 5 star rating. But if you love public declarations and characters (a hero) who make mistakes, then I'm sure you'll enjoy The Best Thing.I give The Best Thing  4 stars!Plot: 7/10Characters: 9/10Writing: 8/10 at times I felt the filling lines between the dialogues a bit brusqueEnding 7/10Cover: 9/10 - love it!