The Good Girl's Second Chance - Christine Rimmer (HSE #2431 - Oct 2015)

Series: Bravos of Justice Creek (Book 2)
           Bravo Family Ties (Book 44)

The Littlest Matchmaker Of Them All…

Quinn Bravo is a committed single dad -- emphasis on single. The millionaire bachelor is focused on his four-year-old daughter and his fitness business. So while he's intrigued by his beautiful new interior decorator, Quinn resolves to keep the chemistry at a simmer. Until one night together causes their attraction to burst into flame…

After her ex-husband betrayed her, local good girl Chloe Winchester returned to Justice Creek, determined not to risk her heart again. Still, maybe she can live out some teenage fantasies with sexy Quinn while redecorating his house. But first Chloe will have to avoid falling for one adorable little girl and the man of her dreams!

Very good book. Quinn and Chloe knew each other as kids, but Quinn was the bad boy and Chloe the good girl. They were interested in each other as teens, but expectations and reputations kept them apart. Now both have moved back to Justice Creek.

Quinn has a four year old daughter and a growing fitness business. He's not looking for a relationship right now, but he's drawn to his beautiful neighbor. Chloe came back home after divorcing her cheating and abusive husband. She has her own interior design business that is also starting to grow. She's not in any hurry to risk her heart again.

Late one night, when neither can sleep, they meet in the darkness. There is an instant attraction and connection that they see no reason to fight. Though the original plan was for one night, neither wants to give up on whatever it is they have. Though their physical relationship has a quick and hot start, that's not all they have together. I loved seeing the way that they talk together often and have shared pieces of their painful pasts with each other. 

Quinn quickly realizes that he wants Chloe in his life permanently. He proposes marriage, then gives Chloe the time she needs to be sure of what she wants. Quinn is very protective of those he cares about, and when he discovers that Chloe is having issues with her ex, he wants to help. Chloe knows that she's fallen for Quinn and wants to be with him. But it has taken time for her to get her life together after her divorce, and to find her independence. When she was younger she had allowed her mother to have a lot of negative influence on her life and she's working to overcome that. When she starts getting creepy messages from her ex, she is determined to deal with it herself.

This causes some conflict between Quinn and Chloe. He wants to protect her and care for her, and he is extremely frustrated by her refusal to allow him to help. I could understand, because he was worried about her safety. I had a great deal of respect for Quinn, because though he didn't like it, he promised Chloe to stay out of it. There's still a part of Chloe that blames herself for her problems with Ted, and that part is determined to solve her problems herself, without leaning on Quinn. I liked seeing the way that she was confident enough in Quinn to ask him to honor her wishes. She knew what she was doing bothered him, but she really felt that she wouldn't deserve Quinn if she didn't take care of it herself. The ending was intense, but both Chloe and Quinn came through with flying colors.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters also. Quinn's daughter was a real sweetheart. Quinn's love for her was obvious and I loved seeing how he could be soft and tough with her at the same time. His worries about her are one of the things that brought he and Chloe together. Chloe fell for Annabelle almost as fast as she fell for Quinn. I really liked the way they connected over the fairy dress that Annabelle wanted. I liked Quinn's friend/helper Mannie and his part in pushing Quinn and Chloe together. It wasn't very subtle, but it was effective. I also liked seeing more of Quinn's family, especially his sister Nell. The face off she had with Chloe was pretty amusing, but it really showed the love and support that the Bravo family has for each other. The only character I didn't like (besides Ted) was Chloe's mother. She was a real piece of work and I hated the way she talked to Chloe. I loved seeing Chloe stand up to her and stand her ground. She redeemed herself a little bit at the end, so I hope she continues to improve.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not Quite Married - Christine Rimmer (HSE #2401 - May 2015)

Series: Bravos of Justice Creek (Book 1)
           Bravo Family Ties (Book 43)

A BRAVO BABY BRINGS SECOND CHANCES

It was hard enough for Clara Bravo to face gorgeous Dalton Ames after he ended their idyllic fling. But confessing that she was pregnant took real guts! Oh, Clara didn't lack the fortitude to notify Dalton of his impending fatherhood. It was turning down the irresistible banker's proposal -- just for their baby's sake -- that she found difficult.

Dalton pushed Clara away because he couldn't risk his heart again after his recent divorce -- not because he didn't feel anything for the brunette beauty! When he discovered her pregnancy, Dalton was determined to create the picture-perfect home with the one woman he could never forget. Now, if only he could convince Clara that their family was forever…

Very good book. Clara is one of the Justice Creek Bravos, who we have met in previous books. She is best friends with Aurora "Rory" Bravo-Calabretti (A Bravo Christmas Wedding). Seven months earlier Clara had met Dalton Ames while they were both on vacation, where they had a two week holiday fling. By the end of the two weeks, Clara had fallen for Dalton, but when she suggested they continue to see each other he refused to consider it. 

Brokenhearted, Clara went home only to discover that she was pregnant. She was going to tell Dalton, but after looking him up online she saw information that he was going to remarry his ex-wife, so she put it off. Weeks later there was no new information, so she took a chance to find him and tell him. 

Dalton had broken things off with Clara because, after his divorce, he had decided that he was not a good candidate for marriage. It didn't take long for him to realize that he'd made a mistake, but when he sent a PI to find her, the info came back that she was engaged and pregnant, so he stepped back figuring he'd lost his chance. He's stunned to find out from Clara that the baby is his, and immediately tells her they should do the "right thing" and get married.

This pushes all the wrong buttons for Clara. After seeing her mother suffer through a marriage with a man who had an entire second family on the side, Clara won't settle for anything less than love and the full attention of her husband. She is determined to stand firm against Dalton's pressure. Dalton is equally determined to get a ring on her finger and give the baby the family he feels she needs, and he isn't going to let anything get in his way.

When complications force Clara into bedrest, Dalton takes it as a sign and proceeds to take over her life. What follows is an interesting power struggle as Clara tries desperately to keep from losing her heart again and Dalton tries to get what he wants without getting his heart involved. 

I really enjoyed seeing Dalton try to convince Clara. He comes across at first as really controlling and emotionless, but it doesn't take too long to see that it's simply because of the way he was raised. The emotions are there, they are just buried beneath his longtime habit of control. He knows he wants Clara and the baby in his life, he just doesn't know how to make it happen. He is constantly confused by what she wants because he has no experience with that kind of love. It was also pretty amusing to see ultra confident Dalton suffering from insecurity because of her relationship with her friend Ryan. He is dreadfully jealous of how well Ryan knows her. and Ryan seems to take great pleasure in emphasizing it. It was fun to see how they finally got over their antagonism is such a typically guy way, and how it was Clara's turn to be confused. I loved how it was Ryan that helped Dalton see what he had to do to win Clara.

I loved seeing their relationship grow as Dalton makes a point of taking care of Clara. She slowly begins to accept that it is okay to lean on him a little. Both of them learn how to give and take a little. I loved seeing Dalton slowly begin to relax a little and develop the patience to wait for Clara to believe in him. I also enjoyed seeing how well he took to being a father and how that started Clara believing that maybe they could have it all. Clara had her own fears to overcome, and had to believe that Dalton was not like her father before she could see that even if he didn't say the words, his actions showed how much he really cared. 

*copy received in exchange for honest review