Review: LOVE this series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 6, 2013
4.5 StarsI looked forward to the Promise Harbor series for months and months, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the books, and I've enjoyed reading each one and despite the common thread through the books, they are each very different. As I read the last book in the series, Hitched, I really respected the uniqueness of each book. I was lucky enough to interview the four authors of this series and realized what an undertaking this series was. The fact that they pulled off this highly entertaining and fun series is amazing, but the best part of all they did it with smiles on their faces, kept the sense of humor intact, and they wrote four pretty awesome books. I feel for Erin because she's the caboose so to speak in this series; her book has to tie up the loose ends and tie all four books together neatly, on top of that her heroine is a woman who left a perfectly nice (and hot) guy at the altar and her hero is the one that showed up to break the wedding up in the first place. I read a few reviews of Kelly Jamieson's Jilted, the first one in the series, and there were people saying they didn't even want to read Hitched because they were angry with Allie for leaving Josh at the altar. To them I ask, did you REALLY read Jilted? Because believe me Josh is much better off because Allie left him at the altar. So while yes, maybe she should have realized it before the "big" day, it really was the right thing to do and in Hitched we see just why it was the best move for everyone involved.Gavin Montgomery set tongues to wagging once again when he stormed the church and took off with his ex-girlfriend and the current bride to be of another man, Allie Ralston. When he left Promise Harbor he never intended to return but he couldn't let Allie marry another man not when he knew she still was in love with him. I have to admit, the whole breaking up the wedding and hauling the bride out thing is one of those moments you always hope to witness at some point in your life. I mean, come on...it's romantic, crazy, and very hot to think someone will go to that length for someone they love. In this one move Gavin won me over and the more we discover about who he was and the man he's become makes him a world class hero in my book. I love that he refused to let his past dictate his future. I admire that even though it broke his heart, he was a wee bit selfish and decided to live out his dream and his dedication to his wildlife work, his patients, and their owners is to be commended. I can see how important it is that he be taken seriously and that he's dedicated and determined to make a good life for himself, so I'll admit Allie's somewhat cavalier attitude towards him disturbed me. Allie has some serious issues that kept me from completely liking her. At times she seemed immature and somewhat spoiled, however I can't help but wonder if she simply didn't have anyone in her life to slap her upside the head and tell her she was too full of herself and needed to step back and reassess. Like I said before, I have no issues with her dating her ex-best friend's old boyfriend or even leaving him at the altar because obviously they weren't right for one another. They were thrown into a relationship based on friendship, grief, and convenience and neither she nor Josh had the sense to step back and make sure they truly wanted one another for life. What concerned me most was that she refused to see Gavin for the man he is today and what he has to offer. I do understand where she is coming from and why she is the way she is and I can sympathize with her somewhat and she did redeem herself towards the end of the book so while she isn't my favorite heroine, she didn't ruin the book for me. In fact between Gavin, the Alaskan based characters especially Lydia, and the return of all the characters from the first three books I was pretty much in heaven.I really loved seeing the characters from all four books interact with one another. Sometimes very easily, other times a little stiff but there was a sense of rightness to it all. You could tell that this is a group of people who will be there for each other no matter what, no matter how many miles separate them, and through good and bad. So much good came out of these scenes but I think one of the most important things is the rekindling of Allie's relationship with her friend Devon. Their reunion was quite entertaining and I don't think there are many women out there who don't understand how important it is to have that one friend with whom you can share everything.There is so much that is good about this book; the intimate scenes between Gavin and Allie were exciting and often spontaneous not to mention scorching hot. It did not escape my notice that both Gavin and Allie were somewhat guilty of not really knowing the other person despite the previous time they spent together. It was sometimes comical and often heartbreaking as they realized how they really failed at being "there" for each other, which gave me hope they won't repeat those past mistakes. The insight of Lydia into Allie's psyche, Gavin's life, and Allie's family was spot on and often humorous. She is one of those characters that just grabbed me and I would truly love to know more about her.Hitched is an excellent ending to what has been an entertaining, fun, and intriguing series. I loved reading books from three of my favorite authors and adding a new favorite to my list. I appreciate the planning and thought that went in to writing a series of this type and seeing the wedding scene from four different views added a unique perspective to a difficult situation. While this book wrapped up this series nicely, I can't help but want stories for the rest of the Promise Harbor characters and those left back in Alaska...so come on ladies, get right on that next set of books!Review copy provided for an honest review.