Holly Lane: A Destiny Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

I nearly loved this enough for five stars. Nearly. And then the author went and ruined things with the direction of the secondary storyline, and also with some rather odd behaviour from the heroine. Even so, it's definitely worth a read, and a perfect book for Christmas.

Sue Ann was the happily-married friend of the other heroines throughout the Destiny series, and so I was a little shocked to see her used as the heroine of this book. It made me apprehensive, and yet in the end I fell in love with her and Adam together, and was very happy with the direction of the story.
Sue Ann's husband left her for another woman, swiping the rug out from under her, as she believed her life - their life - was pretty much perfect. Adam was her husband's best friend, and yet he has secrets of his own. The book throws them together in a tried and true way - snowed-in together - and yet as I read it didn't feel contrived.

In the end what the author has managed to do with this book is take all the things that usually make me cringe about small town romance - meddling locals, issues with children, cosy settings - and make it sexier, and make it work. I loved it. Adam is about the nicest hero I can ever remember reading about, and he says things in actions: making Sue Ann's daughter's Christmas wish happen, for example. I loved him so much.

Christmas books tend towards the cheese, but this one didn't. It had the perfect mix of sweet and steam, which I thought was great.

So why only three stars?

I could have done without quite so many references to Sue Ann feeling emotions "between her thighs", but that's a minor quibble. I had two main issues.

Firstly, some of Sue Ann's reasons for pushing Adam away simply irritated me. At first I could completely understand, as Adam's connection to her ex-husband meant she was in a position where he might be the cause of her losing custody of her daughter.
However when she was still pushing him away a few pages from the end - when it was clear they were PERFECT for each other - I became a little irritated.

Secondly, this was my major issue with the book.
Romances published in the United States still follow some pretty conservative ideas. Childless couples are not allowed to exist. If you're going to write a character who doesn't want to spawn you'd better keep VERY quiet about it. You know that if you pick up an American romance and there's a man who doesn't want kids, he's going to be "cured" of this "stupidity" by the time the book has reached its end.
This was the case here, and I found it extremely disappointing.

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**SPOILERS**
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Jenny and Mick were the stars of the first book in the series. Until now it was assumed they were not going to have children. Up until the very end of this book Mick was adamant parenthood wasn't for him. Unfortunately this was partly because of the tired cliché of, "I had a bad childhood, therefore I don't know how to be a parent". Bah. There're plenty of far more normal reasons people don't want kids - like maybe it just isn't for them!
All the same, good for him! I thought, though I knew there was no way a romance novel would be allowed to follow through with this.
I was correct.
It seems Mick just needed to spend a few scenes with adorable, precocious little Sophie, Sue Ann's daughter. And then lo and behold! He was "CURED"!! In the space of a few days he went from being certain he NEVER wanted children, to being certain he did.

This is a very good book up until the last couple of chapters, where the heroine and the secondary guy turn into characters I did not recognise.
Such a frustrating way to end a fantastic book.

Starting over is not as easy as people think, especially when you need to start over in the same town that your ex husband is living with his new wife.

Sue Ann is a Destiny child, born and raised in Destiny and then raising her daughter in the small town she loves.

But her husband decided the upset her perfect world by admitting that he no longer loves her and does love someone else. His betrayal is more than she can take. So a couple of days in the mountains, away from everyone is just what the doctor orders until the resort overbooks the cabin she is staying and in walks a man. But not just any man, her ex-husband's best friend, Adam Becker.

Throw in a snowstorm, lock her up in a romantic cabin with Adam, mix in a couple of drinks and uh oh, Adam is not only looking very sexy but then the kissing begins and then clothes start flying. But this is the Adam that is a steady part of her life, the godfather to her daughter, the voice of reason for her scattered life. Sue Ann is not of the trusting nature about men right now and Adam may be right guy but at the wrong time. His caring, trust and love overwhelm her but at the same time she desires him more than ever.

A phone call from her exhusband puts Adam in a no win situation but his feelings for Sue Ann complicate his relationship with his lifelong friend.

Sue Ann is a hardened woman who is out to protect her heart and her daughter but Adam is the perfect man who loves with his whole being. And he loves Sue Ann. Just what will it take for them to meet in the middle, make a memorable Christmas and a life together?

This is book four in the Destiny series and Toni Blake keeps it fresh and fun. Visitors from the previous books catch you up with the lives of Destiny's lovers and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the roads their lives have taken.

A good book and a good series that I highly recommend.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Sue Ann Simpkins is recovering from her husband's decision to walk away from their perfect marriage. She cannot believe that he could just leave her and her daughter after all these years. Sue Ann is going to rebuild she is just not sure how but if there is a way to shake the snow from her shoes it is going to happen.

Adam Becker has been down the path of relationship recovery and never thought he would be the go to man. However, Adam has always had more than friendship thoughts toward Sue Ann. So if he is there to help her resolve her issues, maybe at the same time he can convince her to trust her heart and give them a try.

Santa Claus is having trouble fulfilling everyone's wish list this year. Santa may have an easier time getting a reindeer in your backyard than Sue Ann to open her eyes to Adam's intentions. What Adam has to show Sue Ann besides love is that you do not have to be the perfect couple to have the perfect relationship and play some reindeer games.

This great addition to the Destiny series proves Toni Blake knows how to keep the characters fresh, and the storyline exciting. Ms. Blake weaves a new story in with the previous ones showing the reader the variety of romance available.