Review: Humorous Plot, Lovely Main Characters and A Romance To Believe In
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
For All of my reviews and thoughts on writing, visit [...]Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5Former boy band member Justin Hayes is in a plane on his way to San Juan, the wedding destination of his good friend and former band member Chuck.  Justin would rather be home in Chicago, preparing for a wintery Christmas than on this plane, as he has never liked flying.  But Justin is the best man and the one most likely to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch.  Then the plane hits turbulence, Justin panics and only his gorgeous stranger in the seat next to him keeps him steady enough to survive the wild ride before landing safely at the San Juan airport.  Then Justin notices just exactly how hot the man is leading to wild sex in the airport bathroom.Jack Bassinger is not a happy man.  His only daughter has just informed him that she is marrying a man he has never met and its a destination wedding on the island of San Juan on short notice.  Along with his son, Jack is traveling when all he really wants is to stay at home for the holidays.  When the plane hits major turbulence, Jack notices that his adorable seat mate is starting to hyperventilate and acts as subtly as possible to give him comfort until the ride evens out.  But a little comfort turns into a white hot anonymous sexual encounter in the airport bathroom and suddenly the trip starts to look that much better.Neither man expected to see each other again.  Both men were wrong, oh so wrong.  They meet again at the groom's bachelor party and the wedding starts to go off course from there.  Is a real relationship possible when it starts out lost in confusion, best intentions and hopeless attraction?  Justin and Jack certainly hope so.I love LB Gregg.  Her Albright and Romano books are among my most favorite light-hearted romance stories.  So I was delighted to see that she was releasing a new story, How I Met Your Father, just in time for the holidays.  How I Met Your Father has everything I have come to expect from this author.  It's heartwarming, has great characters and more than its share of laughter filled moments that will leave a reader smiling.Two dissimilar men meet in an adorably unexpected way with complications for both that neither see coming.  There is a marked difference in ages but Gregg shows us that both men are on equal standing in outlook and maturity, something that cannot be said for either Jack's daughter or Justin's bandmates.  As with any classical comedy setup, there is the surprise drama and a reveal scene as funny as you would hope it to be.  I often found myself smiling away and wishing I was lurking about on the outskirts of the wedding party just to watch the proceedings and the drama unfold.  LB Gregg has added the extra component of Justin's closeted status and the impetus needed to make that final step out into the open.If I have any quibbles about this story, it would be that the sense of light hearted fun also lacks a certain depth that I also associate with her writing, for with every laugh there is normally a moment of sadness or loss.  This story certainly has that possibility within it as the aspect of Jack's daughter and Chuck's almost unconscionable behavior towards Jack is never clearly or as satisfactorily resolved as one would hope.  Another scene or two where that all plays out plus one with Jack's son would have made it all the more realistic and satisfying.But those quibbles aside, I loved this story.  I loved Jack and Justin especially.  They are wonderful main characters, layered, emotionally real and their romance hit all my buttons.  I absolutely recommend this story to all lovers of light comedic romance and holiday love affairs that turn into happily ever afters.  How I Met Your Father is a lovely, happy romp, perfect for the Holidays and beyond.Cover Art by L.C. Chase, [...]  A fun cover but somewhat generic in design.  It could be for any book located on a beach.Special Author Note:20% of all proceeds from this title are donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York, whose mission “is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.” To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit [...]