At First Sight: Half an hour before her wedding day Kari Worthington comes to the realization that she does not wish to go through with it, that she has never really loved her fiancée but stayed with him because her dad liked him, and that she needs to get out.So she gets on her car and makes a run for it, still in her wedding dress, and ends up at Cordero Vineyards, in a little town called Rainbow Valley.
Marc Cordero, has managed his family's winery for the last 18 years while juggling his responsibilities as a single parent. But now his daughter Angela is off at college and his brother is coming in to take over the winery, and all Marc wants its to enjoy his free time while he waits for the last harvest before he can hop into his bike and ride into the sunset.
Until Kari shows up in his doorstep.
Marc doesn't want to get involved and he definitely doesn't want to start a relationship when he'll be leaving in a few weeks, but Kari's free spirit makes him feel young again, something he hadn't felt since becoming a parent as at 18.
Second Glance: I had never tried Jane Graves' books before but I have to say that I really loved Baby It's You, there is just something so lovely and fluid about her prose, and she got me to cheer for both Marc and Kari right from the get go.
I loved Kari's character, and how it was hard for her to adapt to living out from under her father's thumb - both for good and ill - and how she learned to stand on her own two feet. Marc was very rigid and sometimes even a little humorless, but he was very dependable and he moved heaven and earth for those he cared about; and I really appreciated that.
Plus, I found his whole side of the story very interesting, how he's only in his mid-thirties but empty-nesting like crazy because he's so used to putting his daughter's needs and moods ahead of his own.
There are other secondary plots as well, like about Marc's sister Nina who is struggling with personal loses - I really felt for her, by the way.
Even the final twist worked well on me, for a moment I didn't think the author was going to be able to pull it off in a way that satisfied me, but in the end I was totally okay with what happened.
Bottom Line: I definitely recommend Baby It's You, and I totally want to go read the previous book in the series (though this works perfectly well as an stand a lone) and look forward to reading more from Jane Graves in the future.
This review is part of the Baby It's You Book Blog Tour!!
About Jane Graves:
New York Times bestselling author Jane Graves is a nine-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award, the industry's highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Booksellers' Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband and a very sweet kitty who kindly keeps her lap warm while she writes. You can write to her at [email protected]. She'd love to hear from you!
Jane’s social media:
http://www.janegraves.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJaneGraves
@JaneGraves
Buy links:
Barnes and Noble: http://tiny.cc/v21bgx
IndieBound: http://tiny.cc/g31bgx
Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway
