Thursday, September 5, 2019

Island Fling with the Tycoon - Therese Beharrie (HR #4682 - Sept 2019)


Could a fairy-tale wedding…

..lead to her own love story?

Sparks fly when Piper Evans meets tycoon Caleb Martin on the way to her brother's wedding. Gorgeous but uncompromising -- he's the kind of man heartbroken Piper has sworn to stay away from. Yet when the perfect wedding turns to disaster, Piper must search for the runaway groom -- with Caleb's help! Island hopping around Greece, Piper finds herself increasingly tempted by the man whose totally off-limits…

Good book. The story opens as Piper arrives in Greece for her older brother's wedding. Her arrival is a bit stressful as she waits for the promised driver to pick her up. The only other person there is a man holding a sign for a different hotel. After an irritated call to her brother, she discovers that the man is her future sister-in-law's brother and had grabbed the wrong sign. Both are grouchy over the misunderstanding and not in the frame of mind for a wedding celebration. Piper was conflicted about going to the wedding. She and Liam were not close thanks to a rough childhood with an emotionally abusive and controlling father. They reconnected after their father's death and so far she hasn't been impressed with what she has learned about Liam. She is concerned that he won't go through with the wedding.

There are sparks between Piper and Caleb from the beginning. Caleb is the oldest of the family and raised his brother and sisters after the death of their father. He is used to being in charge, and it makes an impression when Piper doesn't fall into line. He is intrigued and attracted, which doesn't make him happy at all. Piper is equally fascinated by him, but even more resistant. After years with a controlling father, followed by a boyfriend who turned out to be just as bad, Piper doesn't trust her judgment. She is determined to guard her independence. There are a couple of scenes that first day where that determination creates some awkwardness with Caleb. When the two of them witness an argument between the bride- and groom-to-be, and Liam runs away, Piper has to find him before the wedding. And Caleb is determined to be right there with her.

I enjoyed seeing Caleb and Piper's relationship develop. They are forced to work together to track down Liam which means they have to get along. I liked how Caleb quickly learned how to deal with Piper's prickliness. The more he learned of what she went through, the more he admired her strength and determination. Piper was a harder nut to crack. Between her father and her ex-boyfriend's actions she has a lot of work to do to believe in herself. The attraction between her and Caleb continues to simmer, adding to her fears. I ached for both of them when Piper's fears sent her running and cried for Caleb as he had to let her go. I rooted for Piper to finally see herself the way that Caleb saw her and believe that she could be happy. Her big moment at the end was excellent, as she opened her heart and allowed herself to trust Caleb with it. The epilogue was great. I loved seeing the changes in both Caleb and Piper. There was also a neat little bit with Liam and Emma.
 

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