Review: Originally reviewed for [...]
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 4, 2010
Glad Tidings is a gentle romance that beckons with the suggestion of something deep and passionate. The story starts out on a promising note, but it just never sets the hook, despite the charming setting and a yummy hero.Doctor Bethany Thomas has just finished burying her husband, Brian. Jake Holbrook, a long-time friend to both Bethany and Brian, arrives in town for the funeral and offers her a position running the family wellness clinic at the hospital where he holds the position of CEO. Apparently, Jake and Bethany had always had feelings for each other besides those of friendship, and they wind up in bed together before he leaves town again. Even though Bethany accepts the job position (and other positions, too, apparently) she swears to herself that she's not going to get involved with Jake.The main story picks up a couple of months later when Bethany moves back to her hometown and begins working at the clinic. She and Jake begin to rediscover their friendship and she begins to make her life in a new town. There are some familiar faces, as this is the town she grew up in, but the town has grown a lot since she left.Glad Tidings features some great characters. In addition to the romantic couple, the supporting cast is also well done. Jake's parents are fantastic, and then there's the slimy Chief of Staff at the hospital, plus some really cute kids. As for the hero and heroine -- that's a bit more of a mixed bag.I love Jake - he's smart and caring and he just seems like a really stand-up guy. On the other hand - "Bethy" grated on my nerves throughout the story. It's alluded to that her deceased husband was controlling, maybe even emotionally abusive, but I just never really felt it. That's why they say "Show, don't tell." Maybe if the book had started with a scene of Bethy and Brian engaged in a fight, or something similar, or even had the entire opening chapter depict the two of them and just how trapped and hopeless Bethy felt, I'd have understood it more. As it stands, I just got irritated with her. It seemed like she was constantly leading Jake along, blowing hot, then cold. Ick. I wanted to slap her upside the skull most of the time.I really wanted to love this book. The tempting lure of the girl who picks the wrong guy in high school but then gets a second chance for Mr. Right is a strong one. Unfortunately, the story just never really seemed to get the momentum it needed to really suck me in. Not bad, but it could have been so much more.