Tina's Reading Books

3.5 stars

Although I kinda felt sorry for Clare in the last book, Treading Water I wasn't convinced that I needed to read about her new romance. But of the two romance storylines that take place in this book, hers felt the realest.

One of the things I notice in Marie Force's books is that a lot of times her characters fall in love really fast. I mean, right away the ILY's are dropping fast and furious. As a reader I am not always convinced that these couples are in love. I didn't feel as if I went on their romantic journey with them. In this case though, I felt Clare and Aidan's romance more keenly than I have some of the other characters in this authors' books.

So yeah, I found myself surprisingly really enjoying Clare and Aidan. I loved his family.

The b-plot romance was more thorny. It featured eighteen year old Kate, Clare's daughter, and Kate's much older romantic interest, the 45-year old Reid. I am not personally a fan of May-December romances. I like it when my H&Hs are closer to each other in age. Even back in the day of earlier Harlequin's I'd get seriously squicked out at those young 18 y.o secretaries getting their world rocked by 38 y.o billionaires. SO yeah, I was uncomfortable with Kate's romance.

I was also on board with some of the characters being uncomfortable or even disapproving of it. Yeah, I can see Ashton, Reid's son being angry and upset because Kate & Reid lied to his face and he had a thing for Kate himself. I can also see Jack (Kate's father) being upset. He sent his daughter to Nashville to follow her dream and asked his friend to look after her (not to sexxxx her up). So yeah, I can see that.

But the housekeeper? Leaving the house in disgust? Really? And while I can get Jack being upset did he have to be so ginormously disgusted that he had to cut her off from the family, as if having sex with an older man gave her contagious atomic cooties or something?

And then there is Andi (Jack's wife). Oh, no, honey. You don't get to get up on your high horse. After shacking up with and getting knocked up by a married man, you kinda forfeit the higher ground here. If Kate hadn't been such a cry-baby she could've smacked Andi down. But as it was all Kate did was sob. A lot.

The funny thing is, I actually got more comfortable with the romance as the story progressed and as more and more people lost their shit over it. ha!. So I was bummed with how it ended up.

I probably sound like I didn't like this book, but that isn't the case. I am enjoying the trilogy. One thing is for sure, the two books I've read so far are creating a passionate response in me and makes me want to get the next one.