Review: My favorite in the series! Cara and Shane are great characters to read! And their journey to HEA a definite winner!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2014
It took me a while to get into the groove of Kate Meader’s writing but when I got into it, I was in it for the long haul. At first, I thought it would be a simple, ‘we got married in Vegas but we’re strangers or we can have the ultimate benefits without commitments’ type of romance but the depth of the story caught me by surprise. And that endeared me to Cara and Shane.Shane is a pastry chef making his own name in the industry but he moves to LA and then Chicago to be closer to his remaining family, who by the way does not know about him at all. Now he’s working under Jack Kilroy, superstar chef, in his Chicago restaurant. On a drunken night in Vegas, he ends up hitched to none other than Jack Kilroy’s soon-to-be sister-in-law and ex-producer of his TV show, Cara DeLuca. And while Shane is as swoon-worthy a hero as they come, it was Cara that really fascinated me in the book.She used to be Jack Kilroy’s producer and her biggest career break would have happened if not for the sudden change in Jack Kilroy’s life plans, which included Cara’s younger sister, Lili. Now, she’s managing events for Jack Kilroy’s Chicago restaurant and hoping to expand the business so she could really flex her managing and organizational skills. She’s seen as aloof and cold by the restaurant staff and it doesn’t help that she can’t even join them in meals during break time. But she has a few secrets of her own and a guilt that she won’t let leave her. Plus, she didn’t count on getting married to an Irish pastry chef, who’s not keen on getting an annulment when, really, they said their ‘I-do’s’ under the influence of alcohol.A lot happened in the book, from co-habitation shenanigans, meeting the DeLuca clan, a rough rugby game, a trip to The Bean, some line-dancing, motorcycle trips around the city, and cooking. I loved all these but the one the I loved the most in this book is the trajectory of the characters’ development.I especially adored Cara’s transition from this insecure and guilt-ridden woman to someone who loves herself more and believes in the power of acceptance and understanding. It’s actually the first time that I’ve read a book covering Cara’s particular issue and I really appreciated the treatment that Kate Meader gave to this specific subject. The way it was presented: the story left me heartbroken at first but then I saw the strength in Cara to be able to go through what she had and still triumph over the adversity in the end. It was a joy to read, really.This is one of those novels that really show the readers how the two main characters fit with each other. Saying they complete each other would be a bit cliche but I love how compatible and complementary Cara and Shane are with one another. Even though they’ve completely led different lives growing up, I think they are kindred spirits. For instance, they both feel removed from their families. Shane didn’t have any family left expect the one in Chicago who has no idea of him. Cara, on the other hand, has the lovely DeLuca family but her struggles before and the consequential guilt have left her feeling like an outsider. But their understanding of each other’s feelings and disposition is one of the things that made me believe they are undoubtedly good, even perfect, for each other.Since this is my first Kate Meader novel, I didn’t know what to expect from her book. I mentioned earlier about having to get into the groove of her writing but I was hooked afterwards. I love her wit. She had me laughing out loud countless of times throughout the book. And then she would have me choking back tears in some. And I love that even though there were plenty of hot, and I mean hot scenes in there, she also gave me a lot of heart. This book reminds me of what I feel when I read Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ books. Their books are both sexy, charming, laugh-out-loud, but heartwarming.4.5 lovely stars!