Series:
Bravo Family Ties: The Next Generation (Book 6)
When old friends become newlyweds, love isn't part of the
plan.
Forget true love! Joe Bravo wants to marry and start a
family with someone he can trust. Someone like Macy Storm, his longtime friend
and business partner. Joe trusts Macy with everything. They're already a great
team in life -- why not in family? No passion, no drama. It's the perfect
proposal.
Macy has never considered marrying without love, even
though she's only known heartbreak. Yet Joe's proposal makes sense on many
levels. Hearts safely locked away, Macy and Joe make their vows and start a new
chapter as husband and wife. But their loveless wedded bliss may be short-lived
when Macy breaks the one condition of their marriage: She's fallen in love with
her husband.
Terrific friends-to-lovers story. This is the sixth book in
the series following the second generation of the Bravo family, and I love
catching up on the lives of the original characters. In this case, Joe is Nate
and Meggie Bravo's son (
Marriage by Necessity). He has seen their long and
loving marriage, as well as those of other family members. However, Joe has
been burned by love twice and refuses to go down that path again. Be that as it
may, he still wants to marry and have a family, if he can find a woman he can
trust. Who better than his best friend, Macy?
Macy moved home with her daughter, Ana, after she divorced
her cheating husband. She works as a bookkeeper for her mom's florist business
and Joe's hardware store. Though she wouldn't mind marrying again, trusting
another man won't come easily. Joe's proposal surprises her, and she initially
flatly refuses even to consider it. But Joe is persistent and eventually
convinces her that it will work.
I loved watching Joe and Macy's relationship grow. Their
long-standing friendship means they know each other very well. I loved the
prologue, with its sampling of letters that show they've had each other's backs
all their lives. Their marriage seems to be an easy extension of their
friendship, and they settle quickly into marital bliss, including an unexpected
amount of chemistry. That chemistry opened Macy's eyes to her changing
feelings.
Matters become complicated when Joe's past comes calling.
Macy's acceptance and embracing of the situation showed how much she trusted
Joe. But does that trust extend to confessing her feelings? And what will Joe's
response be? There were times when I wanted to shake him for being so blind,
but I also understood his fear. Of course, I knew everything would work out,
but the journey was emotion-packed and kept me hooked to the end. The epilogue
was a nice peek at their future.
My favorite secondary character was Ana. Her relationship
with Joe was sweet, and I loved how he thought of her as his. I couldn't
understand how her father was so uninterested in having anything to do with
her, though at least he lived up to his financial responsibilities.
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