Kristan Higgins, The Best Man

Faith Holland hasn’t been back to her hometown for three years — ever since her fiancé Jeremy revealed that he was gay and left her at the altar. Now she’s coming home to refurbish an old barn on her family’s vineyard, but she’s not sure she can handle being around Jeremy again. Unfortunately, she keeps running into his best friend, Levi Cooper, whom Faith blames for ruining her wedding by encouraging Jeremy to come out. Meanwhile, Levi is annoyed that he keeps running into Faith; he remembers her as the goody-goody who would have (albeit unknowingly) ruined his best friend’s life. Neither of them expected that they would feel so attracted to each other; but can Faith and Levi ever build a future together when they have such a complicated past?

I really like Kristan Higgins’ contemporary romances, so of course I had to buy this one as soon as it came out. There are a few differences between this book and the other Higgins novels that I’ve read, but I think they’re good differences. First of all, normally Higgins writes from the heroine’s point of view, but in this book she uses a 3rd-person p.o.v. that follows Faith and Levi in turn. I was glad that she focused on the hero and heroine equally, so that I could get some insight into both characters and understand where they were both coming from. I also really liked Levi, because he’s not quite the stereotypical romantic hero. He’s occasionally crude, shallow, and quick to judge, which makes him a real person rather than an idealized fantasy. Overall, I devoured this novel and am looking forward to Higgins’ next book!

Kristan Higgins, Catch of the Day

Maggie Beaumont is incredibly unlucky in love. Her first serious boyfriend dumped her for another girl without even telling her about it, and for the past year or so she’s been carrying a torch for the local priest. Although Maggie has a job she loves (owning and operating the only diner in her tiny town of Gideon’s Cove, Maine) and many friends amongst the townspeople, she can’t help feeling incredibly lonely at  times. In desperation, she agrees to go on several blind dates, but each one is more catastrophic than the last. Just when she’s about to give up hope, however, a surprising kiss from an unexpected source makes Maggie think that maybe she’s finally met her match.

Once again, Kristan Higgins delivers a fun and fast contemporary romance. I found Maggie instantly likeable despite her flaws — and she actually does have real flaws, not the “flaws” that chick-lit heroines often have that are actually adorable quirks in disguise. Her obsession with her priestly friend, Father Tim, is a case in point: she knows he’s off-limits, but she spends an inordinate amount of time obsessing about him anyway. On the other hand, I didn’t get to know and love the taciturn hero, Malone, in the same way. Maggie is utterly bewildered by his behavior for much of the novel, and I can’t really blame her. If Higgins had developed his backstory a bit more and given us some insight into his point of view, I would have enjoyed the romance more than I did. But even though I thought the hero was underdeveloped, I still enjoyed this book! I definitely look forward to reading more of Higgins’ work in 2013.

Kristan Higgins, My One and Only

Harper James is a ball-busting divorce attorney who firmly believes in the nobility of her calling. In her words, she helps people’s hearts to accept what their heads already know — that they and their spouses are simply no good for each other. Harper knows the truth of this saying firsthand, as she divorced her college sweetheart, Nick, several years ago. Harper has done her best to move on from Nick and is even contemplating marriage to another man. But when she learns that her younger stepsister is about to get married to Nick’s half-brother, she can’t help but get upset. She’ll have to see Nick again and confront their shared past, from the intensity of their love to the heartbreaking disintegration of their marriage. How can Harper get over Nick when the sight of him unearths feelings she thought she’d buried long ago?

Another winner from Kristan Higgins! This book is a real page-turner, especially after Harper’s past with Nick slowly starts to be revealed. I didn’t particularly like Harper at first — I found her shrill and abrasive — but it gradually becomes clear that she has good reasons for being the way she is. Nick is also a compelling hero, swoonworthy but not flawless, and certainly not blameless in the conflict between him and Harper. I really liked how the obstacles separating the hero and heroine are legitimate and not the result of a silly Big Misunderstanding. Rather, they seem like the kind of problems that many married couples fall prey to: they take each other for granted and are afraid to fully open up to each other. So I think this book has a little more emotional weight than Higgins’ other books, but that’s not a bad thing! I’d definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary romance.

Kristan Higgins, All I Ever Wanted

Callie Grey has spent years pining for her gorgeous boss Mark, and after an intense hook-up on a business trip, she’s convinced that Mark has finally realized she’s the one. So when he reveals that he’s in a serious relationship with one of her co-workers, Callie is devastated. She knows she should try to get over him, but part of her keeps whispering that the two of them are meant to be. Still, she makes a few attempts to move on, including scoping out the new veterinarian in town, Ian McFarland. Ian is handsome enough, but he’s also cold and stand-offish — and he doesn’t seem to like Callie one bit. Nevertheless, Callie’s cheerful, stubborn disposition won’t allow her to give up on Ian, and she soon finds herself developing feelings for him. But when Mark begins showing signs of interest in Callie again, will she choose the man she’s always wanted or the man who truly wants her?

I’ll admit it: I set aside my very long book about the Hundred Years’ War so that I could jump right into some romance. 🙂 As with the other Kristan Higgins books I’ve read, I enjoyed this one. Callie is a lovable heroine, who may have occasional “emotional diarrhea” (in the words of our hero) but is also sweet-natured and patient with everyone around her. As for Ian, well, what’s not to like about a guy who is described as looking like a Russian assassin but who is petrified of a group of 5-year-old girls? I think Too Good to Be True is a bit more polished than this book — maybe this is an earlier effort; I’m not sure. But it’s still a fun read and a great way to spend an evening!

Kristan Higgins, Too Good to Be True

Grace Emerson doesn’t consider herself a particularly pitiable person. She loves her job teaching American history. She has her own house and an adorable dog named Angus. But when her fiancé dumps her and begins dating her younger sister instead, Grace discovers that everyone in her family feels sorry for her. To escape their pity, Grace tells them that she’s started dating someone else — a wonderful, handsome, sensitive pediatric surgeon. Too bad he’s fictional — unlike Grace’s sexy new neighbor, Callahan O’Shea, whose sarcastic barbs annoy Grace even as she finds herself increasingly attracted to him.

This is my second encounter with Kristan Higgins (after Just One of the Guys), and I think I can safely say I’ve found a new author to enjoy. Every once in a while I just want to read a light, fluffy contemporary romance, and Higgins definitely fits the bill. Her books are a little unconventional for the romance genre, for two reasons: (1) there are almost no sex scenes  — she mostly uses the fade-to-black approach — and (2) the story is only told from the heroine’s point of view. That’s one aspect of the book I didn’t like so much; I would have loved to see some of the events from Callahan’s perspective. But other than that, I enjoyed this book a lot. I especially liked the fact that there was no Big Misunderstanding keeping Grace and Cal apart. The obstacles to the romance are realistic and don’t seem contrived. I’ll definitely seek out more by Higgins in the future.