Series: St. Helena Vineyard #5
Published by Montlake Romance on June 1, 2014
Length: 310 pages
Reviewing eBook from Amazon
Rating:
After years of designing her family’s grand wineries (and a few not-so-grand closets on the side), Abby DeLuca knows she has what it takes to be an award-winning interior designer. Newly single, Abby lands the career opportunity of a lifetime and refuses to let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. And that includes St. Helena’s most irresistible contractor, the man who makes her melt every time she sees him—even though he shattered her heart years ago.
A former NFL star, Jack “Hard Hammer” Tanner now spends his days doing contract work for the beautiful women of St. Helena—and his nights doing off-the-books projects in their bedrooms. Yet the more time the sexy tool-belt-for-hire spends with Abby, the more he longs to fix her broken heart. Soon, rekindled sparks fly. But when Jack’s dream job comes calling, he faces a tough choice: building in the big leagues, or building forever with his first love.
From the Moment We Met by Marina Adair is book five of St. Helena Vineyard and tells the story of the DeLuca Darling and Hard Hammer Tanner. Recently divorced/widowed Abby DeLuca is gets an interior design job that will take her fledgling company to the big leagues if she can pull it off. Her problem: she needs a contractor and the only one willing to do the job is Jack Tanner, a man she has a bad history with.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were believable as were their problems, making them relatable in every sense. I love the alternating POVs between Abby and Jack as it gives you a fuller picture of what the characters are thinking and feeling. Abby is the baby sister of the DeLuca boys, and most people see her as being a part of them. Yet she is strong, independent, and determined. When the Hampton’s are looking for a designer for their next big project, Abby jumps at the chance knowing it will secure her a place in the business world. Jack Tanner is a former NFL star turned contractor. He also happens to be Abby’s first…everything and he loves her. He would do anything for her, so when she asks for his help on the Hampton project he consents on the condition that she date him. I like Jack and I loved reading how Abby falls in love with him again. She sees the real him. Jack puts off a proud, secure persona when in reality he is slightly insecure and lacking in real friends.
If you are looking for a book with a deep-meaning and life lessons, this isn’t it! The plot of this story is very simple and on the romantic side. It’s a quick, easy read for when you need something light-hearted. Though this book is a part of a series, I hadn’t read any of the prior books and still really enjoyed it. It can be a standalone as it does not end in a cliffhanger and it gives you the background info on the characters that you need. FYI this book does contain some sexual innuendos and a few scenes for the mature audience (though I wouldn’t classify it as erotica), so I would recommend this for those of you over 18 and definitely this one is geared towards women. If you enjoy romantic comedies and easy reads, then this is one for you.
[…] Marina Adair: The book I read was book 5 of the St. Helena series, a contemporary romance about two former flames finding each other again despite some constant […]