ARC Review: Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas

12 Aug 2015

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Book Title: Brown-Eyed Girl
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Series: Travis Family #4
Release Date: August 11th, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Wedding planner Avery Crosslin may be a rising star in Houston society, but she doesn't believe in love-at least not for herself. When she meets wealthy bachelor Joe Travis and mistakes him for a wedding photographer, she has no intention of letting him sweep her off her feet. But Joe is a man who goes after what he wants, and Avery can't resist the temptation of a sexy southern charmer and a hot summer evening.

After a one night stand, however, Avery is determined to keep it from happening again. A man like Joe can only mean trouble for a woman like her, and she can't afford distractions. She's been hired to plan the wedding of the year-a make-or-break event.

But complications start piling up fast, putting the wedding in jeopardy, especially when shocking secrets of the bride come to light. And as Joe makes it clear that he's not going to give up easily, Avery is forced to confront the insecurities and beliefs that stem from a past she would do anything to forget.

The situation reaches a breaking point, and Avery faces the toughest choice of her life. Only by putting her career on the line and risking everything-including her well-guarded heart-will she find out what matters most.

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{READ MORE FOR ALLISON'S REVIEW!} 



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Brown-Eyed Girl took me back to my early reading days. Lisa Kleypas was one of the first authors I binged on several years ago when I really ramped up my hobby of reading. Her library more historical than contemporary romance, I fell immediately for her style of writing and her ability to capture the essence of her characters so flawlessly. Since then, I've hardly read anything from her- venturing onto more erotica, suspense, or even darker themed reads. But within a few pages of this book, it was like coming home for me. I truly forgot this author's ability to capture me within a love story filled with so much more than just one romance- one love connection.

Brown-Eyed Girl is the fourth book in the Travis Family Series and I can sadly say I hardly remember any of the previous books. It's not that I didn't enjoy them, it's just so much time has passed and reading hundreds of books since then, my memory has faded. This in no way affected my ability to really enjoy this sweet love story. Sometimes it's just great to go back to where it all started. And it started with this author for me...

   

Avery Crosslin, with a budding career in the Wedding Planning business, is happy fading into the shadows- hiding her curvaceous figure behind boxy loose clothing. When prepping for a high-end wedding, she runs into Joe Travis, whom she thought was a wedding photographer. He was her knight in shining armour when her hair spray just wasn't doing the job of killing off a wedding crasher- a Scorpian. Apparently a boot works better than hairspray. Joe is everything Travis- hot and virile and Avery has to force herself to focus on the job at hand- relationships are the last thing she wants or needs. But the sight of Joe Travis sets her pants on fire...

The stubble on his face looked heavy enough to sand paint off a car. He was big-boned and lean, the muscles of his arms and chest as defined as cut stone beneath a worn layer of his T-shirt. A disreputable man, maybe a little dangerous. The kind of man who made you forget to breathe.

Joe Travis is hell bent on getting to know this speed talking, red-headed wedding planner. She cuts his advances off at every turn but when a slow dance leads to two leads to a night of uninhibited passion, he didn't plan for her to run for the hills so quickly. Was it something he did? Didn't do?

 

I do have to say, Avery got a bit on my nerves with her hot and cold treatment of Joe. I realize her past caused her to fight against history repeating itself but gah, this is JOE TRAVIS. Luckily Joe seemed just the right person to figure out this quirky workaholic is simply scared of love...of being hurt again. But dayum, who could resist THIS Travis?

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Brown-Eyed Girl gave us so much more than this endearing love story. Were gifted with two love stories. And I almost liked the second as much as the first. A novella for Sophia and Stephen would've been great. I love the love-hate build between those two. We also get a very pathetically sweet toothless chihuahua named Coco that Avery can't help but adopt- much to her sister Sophia's dismay.
"If we get a dog, I want one that can go running with me.” “You don’t run.” “Because I don’t have a dog.” “Now we do.” “I can’t run with a Chihuahua! She would drop dead after a half mile.” “So would you. I’ve seen you run.”

All in all, I really enjoyed everything Brown-Eyed Girl delivered. A quirky heroine, a masculine smooth talkin' hero, comical secondary characters, and, as always, a beautiful happily ever after.

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I've missed Lisa Kleypas and I just might have to dive into some of these old historicals I've got sitting on my kindle.



   Advanced copy received by St Martin's Press via NetGalley on exchange for my honest review.

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