Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good start to the new series. The Hotel Fortune in Rambling Rose is about a month short of opening. The Fortune family hosts a birthday party there involving some of their management trainees. One of the people attending is the oldest brother, Wiley. Wiley always felt a little out of step with the rest of his family while growing up, as well as smothered by sheer numbers - he has seven brothers and sisters. He went to law school out of state, took a job in Chicago, and rarely visited his family. Wiley is at the party to support the family but plans to return to Chicago in a few days. Then a lightning bolt of attraction hits as he sees Grace from across the room.
Grace was born and raised in Rambling Rose. She left college to go home to help when her brother was injured in an accident. Afterward, she returned to complete her hospitality management degree, then took a job at another Fortune property, Cowboy Country. She enjoyed her time there but left after a humiliating breakup with a cheating boyfriend. Grace returned home to put her life back together and enrolled in the training program at Hotel Fortune. She is determined to earn the job as the hotel's general manager. She has no time or inclination for distractions in the form of a sexy lawyer from out-of-town.
I loved the first meeting between Wiley and Grace. It was short but hit Wiley especially hard. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the somewhat cynical man so gobsmacked by his reaction to her that he lost focus. Grace felt it, too, but is wary of trusting another man. When Grace is injured in a freak accident at the hotel, Wiley steps in to help her out.
I enjoyed the development of Wiley and Grace's relationship. In the beginning, Grace is wary of Wiley, unsure of whether he is interested in her or merely trying to prevent a lawsuit. Her family and friends urge caution, but she can't deny the sparks that fly whenever she's near him. Wiley can't stop his desire to take care of Grace. There are several sweet scenes of an almost shy Wiley doing things he thinks will help her. Grace has some issues with his help. She has worked hard to build up her independence and self-confidence after her breakup. Unfortunately, Grace feels smothered by her overprotective family, and Wiley's actions sometimes run up against those feelings. I liked that Grace feels comfortable enough to confront Wiley when she thinks he oversteps and that Wiley quickly reassures her that he has no doubts about her abilities.
As they spend time together, Wiley and Grace discover more than just attraction between them. I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow first, with their attraction simmering in the background. However, Grace is still cautious and insists on keeping anything between them a secret from everyone, afraid of being accused of using Wiley. I loved seeing them grow closer, and both begin to realize that there may be more to their feelings. When Wiley returns to Chicago because of an emergency at work, the time apart allows fears to surface. I wanted to shake them both for pushing each other away rather than talking about it. I ached for Wiley when his actions (or inactions) gave Grace a reason to end things between them. It was fun to see Wiley get relationship advice from one of his younger sisters and realize that he needed to fix things. I loved his big moment at the end and the unexpected help he received to pull it off.
I liked the secondary characters of Wiley's siblings and their obvious closeness as a family. Their support of each other is unwavering, both professionally and personally. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. I also liked Grace's brother, Jake, though he did come across as a jerk initially. Like the rest of her family, he is overprotective and needs to see her for the adult she is. I liked the conversation he had with Wiley near the end of the book.
The collapsing balcony issue that injured Grace was referred to several times. There is some question of whether it was truly an accident. I'm interested to see if this concern continues through the rest of the books.
Grace was born and raised in Rambling Rose. She left college to go home to help when her brother was injured in an accident. Afterward, she returned to complete her hospitality management degree, then took a job at another Fortune property, Cowboy Country. She enjoyed her time there but left after a humiliating breakup with a cheating boyfriend. Grace returned home to put her life back together and enrolled in the training program at Hotel Fortune. She is determined to earn the job as the hotel's general manager. She has no time or inclination for distractions in the form of a sexy lawyer from out-of-town.
I loved the first meeting between Wiley and Grace. It was short but hit Wiley especially hard. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the somewhat cynical man so gobsmacked by his reaction to her that he lost focus. Grace felt it, too, but is wary of trusting another man. When Grace is injured in a freak accident at the hotel, Wiley steps in to help her out.
I enjoyed the development of Wiley and Grace's relationship. In the beginning, Grace is wary of Wiley, unsure of whether he is interested in her or merely trying to prevent a lawsuit. Her family and friends urge caution, but she can't deny the sparks that fly whenever she's near him. Wiley can't stop his desire to take care of Grace. There are several sweet scenes of an almost shy Wiley doing things he thinks will help her. Grace has some issues with his help. She has worked hard to build up her independence and self-confidence after her breakup. Unfortunately, Grace feels smothered by her overprotective family, and Wiley's actions sometimes run up against those feelings. I liked that Grace feels comfortable enough to confront Wiley when she thinks he oversteps and that Wiley quickly reassures her that he has no doubts about her abilities.
As they spend time together, Wiley and Grace discover more than just attraction between them. I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow first, with their attraction simmering in the background. However, Grace is still cautious and insists on keeping anything between them a secret from everyone, afraid of being accused of using Wiley. I loved seeing them grow closer, and both begin to realize that there may be more to their feelings. When Wiley returns to Chicago because of an emergency at work, the time apart allows fears to surface. I wanted to shake them both for pushing each other away rather than talking about it. I ached for Wiley when his actions (or inactions) gave Grace a reason to end things between them. It was fun to see Wiley get relationship advice from one of his younger sisters and realize that he needed to fix things. I loved his big moment at the end and the unexpected help he received to pull it off.
I liked the secondary characters of Wiley's siblings and their obvious closeness as a family. Their support of each other is unwavering, both professionally and personally. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. I also liked Grace's brother, Jake, though he did come across as a jerk initially. Like the rest of her family, he is overprotective and needs to see her for the adult she is. I liked the conversation he had with Wiley near the end of the book.
The collapsing balcony issue that injured Grace was referred to several times. There is some question of whether it was truly an accident. I'm interested to see if this concern continues through the rest of the books.
