Carter's no-nonsense proposition isn't exactly the romantic proposal Paige dreamed about under the mistletoe. After five years of building a business and sharing confidences, her dearest friend still has no idea how she really feels about him. If he did, he'd go running for the Colorado hills. Unless Paige can show Carter how to turn a test-run engagement into the real thing: a holiday wedding with all the trimmings—including love!
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride by Christine Rimmer is a 2015 Harlequin Special Edition publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a charming read and just the right kind of story to kick off your holiday reading.
Carter and Paige are best friends and business partners and up until now, it's never occurred to them to test the waters of a deeper kind of relationship…. Or so they claim.
But, when a magazine quiz plants the seed in their minds, on top of the manipulations of a meddling relative, Carter becomes convinced it is time to settle down and get married, AND decides Paige is the logical choice. But, Paige is not exactly blown away by his proposal. Can he convince her to marry him even though he loves her, but has never said anything about being IN love with her?
Paige is now raising her younger sister after the death of their parents, and is trying to move on from a bitter break-up. Carter's proposal is tempting, especially since she IS in love with Carter. But, is Paige willing to settle for a one sided love affair? Or can she manage get Carter to fall in love with her too?
This is a delightful friends to lovers story, but it's an extra special romance due to the holiday setting and the very cool way the couple manages to work out their feelings. I don't want to say too much, but don't be too hard on Carter. He's clueless, and his motives might be little suspect, but I got the impression there was something kind of mischievous about him. Of course he has some things to work out before he can be what Paige needs him to be, but Paige's character also saw some character growth as she too discovered a little soul searching was in order.
The secondary characters were also a big part of this story, with Paige's younger sister stealing a few scenes along the way.
I really enjoyed this installment in the series and with the holiday atmosphere adding a touch of warmth, it's an especially sweet story.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
http://www.amazon.com/Carter-Bravos-Christmas-Bride-Justice-ebook/dp/B00ZPPGJ1O/ref=sr
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/carter-bravos-christmas-bride-christine-rimmer/1121820387
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
She now lives in Oregon with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.