Review: Holiday Romance at it's finest!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
I took this book for review because at one time in my life I was considering a marriage by proxy when I was betrothed to a Marine stationed in Iraq. My curiosity about how this works drew me in but the romance kept me hooked until the end. By Proxy was a sweet, romantic and charming unexpected love story.Jenny Lindstrom dreams of something bigger than just taking care of her father and brothers in the small town of Gardiner Montana. When her mother became ill and eventually passed away her taste for the bigger city was squelched by her fear of losing someone else she loves and that has kept her in her small home town. When she agrees to stand in for her best friend in a proxy wedding she meets Sam Kelley who stands in for his cousin Kristian. Sam is from Chicago and works as an investment banker and is nothing like what Jenny is used to. When he shows up to the ceremony late sparks between them fly and throws the ceremony into chaos when the judge leaves early causing them to spend the weekend together until the he can come back.Jenny and Sam couldn't be more polar opposite but sometimes that works. She's a small town schoolteacher and Sam comes from a faced paced world in Chicago but craves something simple and like he grew up watching with his parents. I loved seeing how both of their preconceived notions about the other person slowly faded away once they got to know each other. As Sam helped Jenny get ready for Christmas and spent time in her element he started to realize the big city life might not be what ultimately fulfills him. I loved how he helped Jenny overcome her fear of leaving the small town and her family and following her heart. Watching Jenny let go of the reigns she has been tightly holding onto was perfect. She needed someone to shake up her life and show her there was more.Things for Jenny and Same develop slowly over the weekend he spends in town and when they finally get to participate in the proxy ceremony things get very real for the couple. Basically a proxy marriage is walking a thin line of actually marrying someone yourself and Jenny's concerns and fears about saying vows only once were very valid I thought. Technically you are marrying someone by saying the vows for the couple you are standing in for and I felt this scene was very emotional between these two. I loved how despite her own feelings about this kind of ceremony Jenny was willing to put that aside and do this for her best friend.The supporting characters of Jenny's very protective, very BIG brothers was so much fun. They gave Sam a run for his money when it came to protecting their baby sister. There were a few hints at what their stories would be, hopefully, when they get their own books. I fell for all those big blond Nords and can't wait to see what happens with them. Sam and Jenny prove that people from two different worlds can find love no matter what and endear me even more to the opposites trope I enjoy reading. I was very pleased with this sweet little holiday romance. It was full of humor, sweet moments and passionate kisses! By Proxy was every bit the pleasant surprise I was hoping it would be and I enjoyed it very much. If, like me, you need a little nudge getting into the Holiday spirit I would highly recommend you check out By Proxy this Christmas.