Series:
Colburn Brothers (Book 1)
No one is going to convince her to fall in love again...
Penny Rose has learned her lesson and now she's paying
the price. That's why she's sharing a dilapidated house in a tiny California
town with her feisty grandmother and tween brother living off the leftovers
from her catering job. It's a far cry from her dream life. But who needs
dreams… or love… or sex when there's amateur plumbing projects to tackle and
breakfast casseroles to bake?
One thing's for sure, she's never falling in love again.
Not even with the sexy, snarky contractor who keeps testing the walls she's
built.
Ryder Colburn has his hands full running the family
business and caring for the ailing father who's a virtual stranger from the
cold, heavy-handed man he used to be. He's got zero free time for hobbies or
women. Or so he thinks until one walks into his life… and the path of an
oncoming car.
Ryder doesn't mind playing the hero for the skittish,
independent woman. Maybe it's the secrets in her eyes or the scar on her chin.
Whatever the reason, he's compelled to get closer.
This is the first book in a new Jill Shalvis series, and
it completely lived up to my memories of previous series by this author. The
characters were realistic with believable faults and fears, making it easy to
root for their happiness.
Penny recently returned to her small hometown to help her
grandmother and twelve-year-old brother, Wyatt. Though her dream is to own her
own café, she needs an income that will pay the bills. She applies her stellar
chef skills to her work for Hungry Bee Catering, providing meals for local
businesses. Her return came with a promise to herself - no more relationships.
The last one left her with a scar on her chin and a deeper one on her heart.
Ryder is the oldest of the four siblings and the one who
has taken care of everyone onto his shoulders. On top of his successful
building restoration business, with multiple projects and one hundred
employees, he is always there for his family. He watches out for his widowed
sister and is an awesome uncle to his three-year-old twin niece and nephew. He
cares for his formerly abusive father, whose personality underwent a 180-degree
change after a stroke. Ryder is also still grieving the loss of his best friend
and business partner, and blames himself for Auggie's death. He has no time or
desire for a relationship, until he's bowled over by the lovely caterer he
saved from being run over in front of his business.
Ryder was smitten from the first, though it took him a
little while to realize the depth of his feelings for Penny. Penny was
attracted from the start, but determined to keep her "no men" promise
to herself. However, it wasn't easy to keep him at arm's length while he helped
renovate her grandmother's kitchen. Their banter was fun and had me laughing
out loud frequently. Ryder recognized his feelings pretty quickly, but also
knew that he had to earn Penny's trust before anything could happen. I loved
his sensitivity to her fears and how he let her set the pace. He never pushed,
but he never gave up on her. One of my favorite things about this couple is
that they talked to each other openly and honestly. The ending was sweet and emotional.
I look forward to seeing more of them in subsequent books.
The secondary characters were well done. Ryder's brothers
were great with the way they poked at each other while also being there when
needed. Their sister, Kiera, intrigues me. Her grief for her late husband is
always there while she raises their twins. I could feel her struggle as she kept
her business going despite her grief. Her relationships with her employees seem
to be a little rocky at times because of her swinging emotions. I loved the
twins. Their love for their uncles was adorable, and they brightened any scene
they were in. I especially enjoyed Kiera's description of them as "feral
wolf cubs".
Hank Colburn was the surprise. The story opened with a
scene when the siblings were kids, dealing with Hank's abusive actions. But in
the current day, Hank is a non-verbal stroke survivor whose personality has
completely changed. He is always happy and shows no signs of his earlier
abusive actions. This messes with Ryder and the others, who have trouble
reconciling their memories of him with the way he is now. It will be
interesting to see how these relationships progress in later books.
Penny's grandmother is a hoot. She's feisty and
independent and cares deeply about her family. She is also a bit of a
matchmaker and wants to find Penny someone to love. It was fun to see her push
Penny and Ryder together. Wyatt was a typical twelve-year-old boy, seemingly
oblivious to the world around him when caught up in his own activities. His
relationship with Penny is a mix of pesky younger brother, protective brother,
and mother/son. I loved the boost in his confidence when he started working with
Ryder on the kitchen renovation. There are hints about their mother, especially
when it came to Penny's childhood, but not much detail. Knowing more might have
given a little more insight into some of Penny's issues.
I'm looking forward to the next book, which is Caleb's
story.
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