Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good first book in the series. The beginning sets up the backstory of the seven brothers, where the death of their mother fractured the family, especially when it came to their relationships with their father. The brothers are all shocked by the unexpected death of their father, and more so by their inheritances. This book is about Luke.
Luke is big into extreme sports, both doing them and making films about them. For the past ten years, he has been all over the world and done just about everything. He is stunned when he receives a mountain resort as an inheritance. He's the last person who would want a piece of property tying him down. He has no idea why his father left him this property - until he arrives to check it out before deciding whether or not to sell it. There he discovers that the resort manager is his former college sweetheart, Lizzie.
That first meeting was quite a shock to both Luke and Lizzie. They had been deeply in love while they were in college until Luke's restlessness caused him to quit school to pursue his dreams. He wanted Lizzie to come with him for the summer, joining in his adventure. Hurt and angry when she didn't show up, Luke forged ahead and never looked back. Lizzie had been on track for a career as a concert pianist. She was just as in love with Luke but chickened out of going with him, afraid that if she did she would end up giving up her own dreams to follow his. Though she later tried to contact him to explain, he refused to listen. Though Luke's career is going strong, Lizzie's came to a dramatic end when her sister died, leaving Lizzie as guardian of her thirteen-year-old niece, Kaitlyn. Luke's dad gave Lizzie the job at the resort so she could better care for Kaitlyn.
I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Luke and Lizzie. Luke has kept his emotions bottled up for a long time. The attraction that still burns between the two of them starts to break down the walls around Luke's heart. Likewise, Lizzie had thought she was long over Luke and is dismayed to discover otherwise. It isn't easy for them to spend time together at first, but Lizzie is determined to show Luke the benefits of keeping the resort. I enjoyed the scenes of Lizzie showing him around. The descriptions were vivid enough for me to be able to picture them. As the chemistry between them continued to grow, they needed to come to terms with their past before they could move on with their lives. Though each tended to bring up the same points multiple times, they were able to discuss them in a relatively adult manner. But it was a crisis involving Kaitlyn that opened their eyes to the other's point of view and served to finally bring them together. I liked the solution they came up with, and look forward to seeing more of them in future books.
I liked both Luke and Lizzie. Luke is a good guy, whose success has not gone to his head. I enjoyed the scenes with him interacting with various people at the resort. I also liked the way that he connected with Kaitlyn and understood her grief over the deaths of her parents. I loved the way that Lizzie willingly gave up her career for Kaitlyn. Her patience with Kaitlyn and her attitude was fantastic, especially with some of the horrible things Kaitlyn said. Though there were times I wanted to shake Kaitlyn until her teeth rattled, I also ached for her, especially as more of her story came out. The scenes with her on the trail had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
Luke is big into extreme sports, both doing them and making films about them. For the past ten years, he has been all over the world and done just about everything. He is stunned when he receives a mountain resort as an inheritance. He's the last person who would want a piece of property tying him down. He has no idea why his father left him this property - until he arrives to check it out before deciding whether or not to sell it. There he discovers that the resort manager is his former college sweetheart, Lizzie.
That first meeting was quite a shock to both Luke and Lizzie. They had been deeply in love while they were in college until Luke's restlessness caused him to quit school to pursue his dreams. He wanted Lizzie to come with him for the summer, joining in his adventure. Hurt and angry when she didn't show up, Luke forged ahead and never looked back. Lizzie had been on track for a career as a concert pianist. She was just as in love with Luke but chickened out of going with him, afraid that if she did she would end up giving up her own dreams to follow his. Though she later tried to contact him to explain, he refused to listen. Though Luke's career is going strong, Lizzie's came to a dramatic end when her sister died, leaving Lizzie as guardian of her thirteen-year-old niece, Kaitlyn. Luke's dad gave Lizzie the job at the resort so she could better care for Kaitlyn.
I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Luke and Lizzie. Luke has kept his emotions bottled up for a long time. The attraction that still burns between the two of them starts to break down the walls around Luke's heart. Likewise, Lizzie had thought she was long over Luke and is dismayed to discover otherwise. It isn't easy for them to spend time together at first, but Lizzie is determined to show Luke the benefits of keeping the resort. I enjoyed the scenes of Lizzie showing him around. The descriptions were vivid enough for me to be able to picture them. As the chemistry between them continued to grow, they needed to come to terms with their past before they could move on with their lives. Though each tended to bring up the same points multiple times, they were able to discuss them in a relatively adult manner. But it was a crisis involving Kaitlyn that opened their eyes to the other's point of view and served to finally bring them together. I liked the solution they came up with, and look forward to seeing more of them in future books.
I liked both Luke and Lizzie. Luke is a good guy, whose success has not gone to his head. I enjoyed the scenes with him interacting with various people at the resort. I also liked the way that he connected with Kaitlyn and understood her grief over the deaths of her parents. I loved the way that Lizzie willingly gave up her career for Kaitlyn. Her patience with Kaitlyn and her attitude was fantastic, especially with some of the horrible things Kaitlyn said. Though there were times I wanted to shake Kaitlyn until her teeth rattled, I also ached for her, especially as more of her story came out. The scenes with her on the trail had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
