Series: Hunk for the Holidays (Book 3)
GOOD THINGS COME IN SEXY PACKAGES . . .
Jacqueline Maguire has a problem tying the knot. After fleeing the altar (again), the runaway bride drives off with no particular destination in mind. Which is how Jac finds herself stranded in a snowstorm with a hot, hard-bodied stranger who treats her to the naughtiest night of her life . . . but come morning, he's long gone.
Contractor Patrick McPherson is deeply committed to his bachelor lifestyle. No strings, no rings. As the Christmas season approaches, however, Patrick still can't quite forget his curvalicious one-night stand. Then Jac shows up unexpectedly, and all holiday hell breaks loose. Because this year, Patrick is getting the biggest Christmas surprise of his life . . .
Fun book about two people who are very different and what happens when they find each other. Jac is desperate to get married. Her late aunt had stipulated in her will that Jac had to be married to inherit and she is running out of time. She has tried twice, but each time chickened out at the last minute. Her latest attempt sends her off in a Halloween blizzard, where she promptly wrecks her car. Fortunately for her, she is rescued by a kilt-wearing vampire - at least that's what she thinks.
Patrick has just come home from a Halloween party and is still wearing his kilt and the realistic fangs when Jac bursts into his life. She has him so flummoxed that he forgets about the fangs when the urge strikes to kiss her and is dismayed when she faints. After realizing that she's injured, he takes care of her, until the sparks between them flare up again. The heat generated between them makes an impression on both of them. But when Jac wakes up in the morning, Patrick isn't there, but a local deputy has found her wrecked car and gave Jac a lift into town. Patrick is stunned to find her gone when he gets back from a grocery run.
A month later, neither has been able to forget the other, but Jac has an unexpected reminder. While she plans to keep the baby, she's determined to return to Denver to see Patrick again and exorcise him from her mind. However, things don't go quite the way she planned.
I really liked Patrick. He's a straightforward kind of guy who doesn't play games. He isn't interested in getting married, but he does like the ladies. His aunt is determined to see him hitched and has been throwing women at him left and right. They make such an impression on him that he can't even remember their names - though he has no trouble remembering Jac's. He's also serious, hard-working, and an animal lover.
I had a little more trouble warming up to Jac. She first gives the impression of being a materialistic ditz. She goes on and on about doing whatever she has to in order to get her aunt's money, even possibly marrying older men that she doesn't care about. Then there's her wild imagination. Patrick is a vampire, there's a man trying to kill her for her inheritance, and it was Bigfoot that made her run off the road. Her attempt at a disguise to see Patrick was laughable as was the story she concocted. But as the book went on, things about her past make her actions a little more understandable.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. The sparks between them haven't died down any, and they aren't all the attraction variety. There is also a good bit of antagonism as Jac insists that she'll raise the baby on her own and Patrick isn't having it. He wants to be a father to their child. He proposes they get married, and since that suits her needs, Jac agrees. But things don't immediately become unicorns and roses. Patrick immediately returns to his workaholic ways, and a bored Jac is sure to get into trouble. Her methods are a bit manipulative, which comes back to bite her when Patrick finds out. But a good Irish vs. Scottish shouting match brings about compromise and meeting of minds. I loved seeing Jac and Patrick get to know each other and enjoy spending time together, not just in bed. What neither expected was actually to fall in love, and neither quite knew what to do about it. Unfortunately for Jac, she had never told Patrick her initial reason for agreeing to the marriage, and when he finds out, the hurt and anger are intense. I ached for both of them during that confrontation. I loved the advice that Patrick got and what he did with it. The ending was awesome.
The secondary characters were the icing on the cake of the story. Patrick's Aunt Wheezie was a hoot with her machinations. She was an interfering old lady, but her heart was in the right place. Jac's sister Bailey was as pragmatic as Patrick, but she was also very protective of Jac. I loved the way she rode to the rescue when Jac first returned to Denver. Her meeting with Patrick and his brothers was great. I also loved their friend Gerald. He was a great foil for Patrick's over-the-top alpha maleness. One of my favorite characters was the street bum with the long white beard who kept turning up. It was pretty obvious who he was, and I loved each of his appearances. The rest of Patrick's family were fun and crazy and obviously loved each other. Their Christmas craziness was fantastic.
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