Cherise E. (CherryDuck) reviewed The Heart of Christmas (Whiskey Creek, Bk 7) on + 150 more book reviews
Eve Harmon has given up on happily ever after. After watching all her friends hook up and get their HEA, and after being dumped last year by a good friend, shes pretty sure this is it. On her 35th birthday, when all her friends are busy, she goes out to the local bar to have a good time and forget that shes usually the good girl, the responsible one. Mission accomplished when she wakes up a little foggy headed and with a stranger in her bed.
Rex isnt into relationships, he has way too much of his past always licking at his heels. One night with the pretty Eve is all he can have. So he gives her a fake name with intention of never seeing her again. Unfortunately that plan goes to hell when he finds out he is staying at her B&B.
I have been dying to read more of Rex aka Pretty Boy from the Bullet Proof Trilogy. I loved his character then and I loved it even more now. He has grown up since last we saw him, though he is still troubled, scared and untrusting with good reason.
I love Christmas time, not because I am religious, but because there is a feeling in the air, a tangible goodness, hope. This story captures that feeling. Eve and Rex are just what each other needs and with a few surprises here and there, they are forced to make some decisions that Rex otherwise would have avoided by disappearing without a trace.
There is more than the Eve/Rex romance going on. There is the mystery of the ghost that haunts the B&B and glimpses into the lives of the previous Whiskey Creek heroes and heroines. The story is hard to put down and is definitely a page turner.
The story gets a little hokey and unbelievable towards the end but isnt that what the Christmas spirit is all about? The impossible possible, believing and seeing that faith come to fruition? Definitely a must read for the Whiskey Creek series fan and anyone needing a guaranteed happy ending Christmassy book!
Cherise Everhard, September 2014
I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review
Rex isnt into relationships, he has way too much of his past always licking at his heels. One night with the pretty Eve is all he can have. So he gives her a fake name with intention of never seeing her again. Unfortunately that plan goes to hell when he finds out he is staying at her B&B.
I have been dying to read more of Rex aka Pretty Boy from the Bullet Proof Trilogy. I loved his character then and I loved it even more now. He has grown up since last we saw him, though he is still troubled, scared and untrusting with good reason.
I love Christmas time, not because I am religious, but because there is a feeling in the air, a tangible goodness, hope. This story captures that feeling. Eve and Rex are just what each other needs and with a few surprises here and there, they are forced to make some decisions that Rex otherwise would have avoided by disappearing without a trace.
There is more than the Eve/Rex romance going on. There is the mystery of the ghost that haunts the B&B and glimpses into the lives of the previous Whiskey Creek heroes and heroines. The story is hard to put down and is definitely a page turner.
The story gets a little hokey and unbelievable towards the end but isnt that what the Christmas spirit is all about? The impossible possible, believing and seeing that faith come to fruition? Definitely a must read for the Whiskey Creek series fan and anyone needing a guaranteed happy ending Christmassy book!
Cherise Everhard, September 2014
I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review
Karen S. (BoysMom) -
Eve Harmon was the good and proper one in the group of friends around which Brenda Novaks Whiskey Creek series revolves. But as she hits her thirty-fifth birthday, she begins to feel like the life shes always wanted the one with a loving husband and a passel of kids is passing her by and out of reach. In a truly reckless act, she takes home a handsome stranger from the local hotspot, Sexy Sadies, and sets off a roller coaster of a holiday season (and holiday story.)
Brenda Novak has created a story of opposites in her latest book in the series pairing up good girl, Eve, with ex-con, Rex McCready, the aforementioned handsome stranger. Familiar faces from previous books make appearances with cameos from some that we havent heard much from recently. (Baxter comes in from San Francisco for the birth of Cheyenne and Dylans first child.)
Tension runs high throughout and we wonder all the way to the end whether there will be a happy ending for Eve and Rex. With plenty of drama lurking around the corners of this group of lifelong friends, The Heart of Christmas is a must-read in the series as we look forward to what comes next in this lovely series.
Brenda Novak has created a story of opposites in her latest book in the series pairing up good girl, Eve, with ex-con, Rex McCready, the aforementioned handsome stranger. Familiar faces from previous books make appearances with cameos from some that we havent heard much from recently. (Baxter comes in from San Francisco for the birth of Cheyenne and Dylans first child.)
Tension runs high throughout and we wonder all the way to the end whether there will be a happy ending for Eve and Rex. With plenty of drama lurking around the corners of this group of lifelong friends, The Heart of Christmas is a must-read in the series as we look forward to what comes next in this lovely series.
Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good book. I liked seeing Eve finally get her story. Eve runs Little Mary's B&B. She's at the local bar celebrating her birthday and feeling sorry for herself. She wants what her friends have - a family of her own, but so far she hasn't found the right man. She wakes up the next morning with a handsome stranger in her bed, and only vague memories of the night. What she can remember is pretty impressive, but she's horrified by her uncharacteristic behavior. Rex is in town trying to keep his past from catching up with him. His night with Eve was amazing, but he should move on. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he can't seem to pull himself away.
I liked Eve better in this book than I have in previous ones. In those, she frequently seemed judgmental about the decisions her friends were making, or the people they were falling for. In this book, her attitude becomes a little clearer, as she is one to worry about her friends and wants what is best for them. With her sudden attraction to Rex she begins to understand them a little better. There's something about Rex that has her wanting to get closer to him, but at the same time there is a lot of mystery surrounding him. As she gets to know him, she sees a good man who is trying to get past the mistakes he's made. All she has to do is convince him that he's worth loving.
I really liked Rex. He had a family tragedy as a teen that he continues to blame himself for. The guilt he felt then led him to make some poor choices, choices that kept building until he ended up in prison. He's been out for eight years and has made a good life for himself, but the past won't leave him be. The gang that he belonged to as a safety precaution in prison doesn't like that he has left them behind. They are determined to find him and kill him. This has added to Rex's determination to keep an emotional distance from everyone. When he found out that they had tracked him down once again, he hit the road for awhile, ending up in Whiskey Creek. His encounter with Eve filled a need in him he hadn't realized he had. He tries to keep her at a distance, but finds himself unable to resist going back to her time and again. He wants to be able to stay with her, but his fears for her safety have him convinced it's not possible.
It was great to see the various people from previous books and see how things are going for them. There's a reference in this book to something that happened in an earlier book that I still don't agree with. I'm waiting for that decision to come back and cause problems. However, I loved the support that Eve had from her friends. They are all protective of her, and while some go a bit far in their actions, they all want what is best for her. In the end, it was wonderful to see how they banded together to make it possible for Eve and Rex to be together. The solution was pretty clever. I liked the epilogue and seeing Rex take the first steps into a new future.
I liked Eve better in this book than I have in previous ones. In those, she frequently seemed judgmental about the decisions her friends were making, or the people they were falling for. In this book, her attitude becomes a little clearer, as she is one to worry about her friends and wants what is best for them. With her sudden attraction to Rex she begins to understand them a little better. There's something about Rex that has her wanting to get closer to him, but at the same time there is a lot of mystery surrounding him. As she gets to know him, she sees a good man who is trying to get past the mistakes he's made. All she has to do is convince him that he's worth loving.
I really liked Rex. He had a family tragedy as a teen that he continues to blame himself for. The guilt he felt then led him to make some poor choices, choices that kept building until he ended up in prison. He's been out for eight years and has made a good life for himself, but the past won't leave him be. The gang that he belonged to as a safety precaution in prison doesn't like that he has left them behind. They are determined to find him and kill him. This has added to Rex's determination to keep an emotional distance from everyone. When he found out that they had tracked him down once again, he hit the road for awhile, ending up in Whiskey Creek. His encounter with Eve filled a need in him he hadn't realized he had. He tries to keep her at a distance, but finds himself unable to resist going back to her time and again. He wants to be able to stay with her, but his fears for her safety have him convinced it's not possible.
It was great to see the various people from previous books and see how things are going for them. There's a reference in this book to something that happened in an earlier book that I still don't agree with. I'm waiting for that decision to come back and cause problems. However, I loved the support that Eve had from her friends. They are all protective of her, and while some go a bit far in their actions, they all want what is best for her. In the end, it was wonderful to see how they banded together to make it possible for Eve and Rex to be together. The solution was pretty clever. I liked the epilogue and seeing Rex take the first steps into a new future.
