Waiting on You

Is your first love worth a second chance…? 

Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love…just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell broke her heart…an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends. 

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

Release Date April 1, 2014 Harlequin HQN Blue Heron Series

I was lucky enough to get a review copy of Waiting on You thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

Colleen is one of my favorite characters ever from this series. I love she is so feisty and strong and it really cracked me up to see her off her game once Lucas came back to town.

I loved Lucas and Colleen together. The more I learned about his past, the more I just wanted to hug him. Lucas and Colleen had amazing chemistry and I loved not only learning about their history as the each remembered the past, but watching them both fall in love all over again.

Kristan Higgins gives her readers another winner with Waiting On You. In fact, Waiting on You is my favorite in the Blue Heron series to date.

The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match is the 2^nd book in the Blue Heron series from Kristan Higgins. The publisher is Harlequin HNQ and the release date was October 29, 2013. From the back cover.~

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? 

Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there…or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn't easier said than done. 

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind. 

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn't easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

I was lucky enough to get a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. I'm a big fan of Kristan Higgins and was excited to read the 2nd book in the Blue Heron series.

I enjoyed The Perfect Match. I'll be honest and say it isn't my favorite book from Kristan Higgins, but it really is a funny read. Honor Holland has just turned 35 and on her birthday is told she needs to get on it if she ever wants to have babies. I laughed out loud many times as Honor had conversations with her eggs about men and babies. Following the engagement of her lifelong crush to her best friend (really?!?!), she decides to try the find her own Mr. Perfect before it is too late to have babies. 

Tom Barlow and Honor are set up and honestly, Tom was pretty horrible to her on their first meeting, which made me laugh since he needed to marry someone to stay in the country as his work visa wasn't being renewed. Tom wants to stay in the area for his almost stepson Charlie, even though Charlie pretty much ignores him at every turn. Luckily, Tom and Honor do give each other another shot and their chemistry grew the more time they spent together. I'll be honest, most of the love scenes in this book are behind closed doors. I wasn't expecting that, and kept wanting more as I read. I really liked Tom and Honor as a couple and enjoyed watching them grow closer as the story progressed. 

I love the banter between all the Holland siblings. I loved watching Jack squirm each time his sisters would talk about their sex lives. Seriously had me cracking up each and every time. I do wish Honor was stronger than she came across in much of the book. I just didn't buy her continuing to be nice to her ex-best friend Dana after what she did to Honor. Yes when she initially found out Dana and Brogan were engaged she had a cat fight in a bar, but she really held off way too long in telling Dana off in my opinion.

I'm ready to see what will happen with Jack in the next Blue Heron book. We've really only seen glimpses of him in the first 2 books, so I'm intrigued by him and can't wait to learn more about him and meet the woman of his dreams.

The Best Man

The Best Man is book one in the Blue Heron series from Kristan Higgins. The official release date is February 26, 2013 and the publisher is Harlequin HQN. From the back cover.~

SOMETIMES THE BEST MAN IS THE ONE YOU LEAST EXPECT…

Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there's some great scenery there….

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief—and best friend of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

I was lucky enough to get a review copy from NetGalley thanks to the publisher. I’ve been a fan of Kristan Higgins for years, and have to say without a doubt that The Best Man is my favorite book by her.

I fell in love with Levi from the moment he appeared on the page. He is my favorite hero in all the Kristan Higgins books I’ve read to date. I really liked Faith from the very beginning as well. Just about cracked up that she had no idea her fiancé was gay. Faith’s dating antics are the stories that all single women fear might happen to them…gay men, married men pretending to be single, and even guys who think all women want what is written in the 50 Shades books. I could feel the chemistry between Levi and Faith from the very beginning. The fact that he is the one who made Jeremy step up and tell Faith the truth adds to the tension between Faith and Levi. I did totally get Levi still being jealous of Faith and Jeremy being friends. Kind of made me laugh since Levi had known Jeremy was gay from the minute he met him, but still totally got it.

I loved Faith and Levi as a couple. While they didn’t really have much in common, they really did work perfectly for me. They had the best chemistry and I loved how protective they were of each other.  Not that they didn’t have some bumps in their road to true love, but I absolutely loved how they worked it out. I loved the romance of the love scenes between Levi and Faith. Not that there wasn’t heat, but really more romantic to me.

I think Kristan Higgins fans will fall in love with her new series just like I did. Also think it is a great series to start with if you’ve never read a Kristan Higgins book before. I loved The Best Man and I’m super excited about this new series and can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the Blue Heron series.