Bravo Family Ties (Book 57)
She turned him down. Twice.
Karin Killigan refuses to marry Liam Bravo solely for the
sake of their pending baby. This time, the widowed mother of two is holding out
for true lasting love. And even though she is knee-deep in kids and family
chaos, Karin and Liam’s attraction is hotter than ever, but Karin won’t settle.
Liam will have to prove he’s in it for love if he wants a family for his baby’s
first Christmas.
This was a fantastic and emotional book that opens with
Liam Bravo getting the shock of his life. A chance encounter with the woman he
had a very brief relationship with earlier in the year reveals that she is
pregnant - very pregnant. Once he recovers his wits, Liam knows he wants to be
involved in his baby's life.
Karin kept putting off telling Liam about his impending
fatherhood. She knows he's a good man, and she's sure that he will want to do
"the right thing." The problem is that she's already had one marriage
for that reason and it didn't work out very well. There's no way she's going to
risk her heart again for anything but real, lasting love.
Liam does exactly what Karin feared and proposes
marriage. While he's not happy about being turned down, he is undeterred in his
desire to be part of the baby's life. He also figures that he will keep trying
to bring Karin around to his way of thinking. One of the things I loved about
Liam is that when he makes a decision, he goes all in. Rather than trying to handle
his involvement from his home in Astoria, he rents the cottage next door to Karin
from her brother, Sten (Switched at Birth). Karin isn't happy about it because
it keeps Liam far too close for her peace of mind. I loved watching Liam's
transformation from carefree bachelor to daddy. The scenes with him and baby
Riley, or RG as he calls him, are adorable. He also gets close to Karin's
father and her two children. But his main desire is to show Karin that they
belong together.
Karin has a tough time keeping distance between herself
and Liam. Everything he does shows her that he could be the man to make her
happy. But her first marriage left her wary of trusting her judgment when it
comes to her feelings. She had loved Bud with all her young heart, but he
wasn't ready to be a father and husband. He withdrew, spending more time away than
with the family, and even when he was home he wasn't really there.
I loved seeing the development of the relationship
between Liam and Karin. Karin ended their earlier relationship when the
intensity of her feelings scared her, exacerbated by the discovery that she was
pregnant. She was afraid that if she told Liam about the pregnancy, she
wouldn't be able to resist him and would repeat her mistakes. In spite of the
breakup, neither Liam nor Karin forgot what it was like when they were
together. From the moment Liam found out about the baby, he was there for
Karin, day in and day out. The more time they spent together, the deeper their
connection grew. They also discovered that their attraction was just as strong
as it had ever been.
I think Karin frustrated me almost as much as she
frustrated Liam. She welcomes him into her home and her life, encouraging him
to spend as much time as possible with Riley. But at the same time, she tries
desperately to keep her distance emotionally. Even when they give in to the
attraction between them, Karin insists on keeping it a secret. Every time that
Liam tries to talk about the future, she shuts him down. I ached for Liam, who
realized that he loved her and wanted to marry her and make a family with her,
but could not break through the walls she had around her heart. I hurt for
Karin, too, because part of her knew she was falling for Liam, but she could
not let go of her fears. My heart broke for both of them when she panicked over
his second proposal. I liked the advice that Liam got from Daniel that helped
him hang on to hope. But my favorite was the advice that Karin received from
her brother Sten, who capped it off with the comment, "Super painful,
isn't it? When your own words come back to bite you in the ass..." I loved
Karin and Liam's big moment at the end, especially seeing Karin finally put the
past behind her and believe in their love.
I loved the secondary characters, too. Karin's dad, Otto,
was terrific. I liked the way that he and Liam bonded, and how he supported
both of them. I liked his subtle and not-so-subtle ways of throwing Karin and
Liam together. Liam's family was great in the way that they supported Liam in
his efforts to win Karin over. I especially liked how they already considered
Karin and her kids family because of Sten's marriage to Madison. My favorites
were Karin's kids, Ben and Coco. Ben is such a serious little boy, mature for
his age, but also showing unexpected vulnerability. His man-to-man talk with
Liam was sweet but also heartbreaking in what it revealed. Coco was a trip. Her
variety of superhero personas was fun, as was her boundless enthusiasm for
everything. I laughed out loud at her lunch with Liam and the story of the
leftovers. I loved seeing them wiggle their way into Liam's heart.
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