Author: Rachel Gibson

Joint Review: Daisy’s Back in Town by Rachel Gibson

Posted July 29, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Joint Review: Daisy’s Back in Town by Rachel GibsonReviewer: Holly and Rowena
Daisy's Back in Town by Rachel Gibson
Series: Lovette Texas #1
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 312
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Rowena's 2019 GoodReads Challenge, Rowena's 2019 TBR Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When Daisy Monroe walked out of Lovett, Texas fifteen years ago, she thought she'd left troublemaker Jackson Lamott Parrish behind her. But some things you can't just leave in the past. Now she's back and she needs to clear the air by confessing to Jackson the reason she left him all those years ago. But Jackson doesn't want to know. When she walked out on him, he vowed he'd never let a woman get close enough to hurt him again.

As Daisy tries to pursue Jackson to tell him the truth, he tries just as hard to stay out of her way. Except, maybe, sometimes, not quite hard enough. One things for sure, the sparks are still flying between them. Will they ever be able to forget their troubled past for long enough to enjoy the present?

Daisy’s Back in Town is an older release by Rachel Gibson that kicks off the Lovette, Texas series. It’s a second chance romance that follows childhood best friends, Jack Parrish and Daisy Lee Brooks, as they find their way together again after fifteen years. Daisy is back in town visiting her family, but she’s also on a mission to fulfill her late husband’s final wish. Daisy has to make things right with Jack Parrish, the best friend that she and her husband left behind after shattering his already shattered world. To her dismay, Jack doesn’t want any part of her reconciliation but old feelings creep on the both of them anyway.

Holly: I’m pretty sure we can’t do this review without spoilers, so..fair warning. Here there be spoilers.

Rowena: I finished this book in a day so that’s a testament to Rachel Gibson’s writing style. It was easy to fall into what was going on in the story and I easily connected with all of the characters in Lovette, but I also really struggled with a lot of what happens in this story as well.

What about you? How did the story hold up for you?

Holly: It’s been years since I read this book. I remember struggling a lot with Daisy’s actions, hating Steven until the bitter end, and loving Jack. I can’t say much has changed. I agree, Gibson’s writing is smooth and easy to read. I fell right into this book.

Rowena: I struggled a lot while reading this book, too. I struggled with Daisy’s actions. I struggled with Steven’s letter that he left for Jack and I struggled with the way that Jack found out about why they left him all those years ago and yet, despite all of that, I didn’t hate this book. I really loved Jack Parrish. I loved seeing him with his family, especially his nieces and then, later on, I really enjoyed seeing him with Nathan.

Holly: I really loved the way Jack and Nathan came to have a relationship. Their sex talks had me cracking up. I loved that Nathan was comfortable going to Jack with things.

Rowena: I guess what I struggled with concerning Daisy’s action was how long it took her to tell Jack the truth. Then when she tells Jack that she loves him but told him that he basically needed to get over her and Steven’s betrayal or he’ll be all alone forever. I wanted to slap that bitch into next year after that. Like, I still want to slap that bitch for that…and I’m happy that Jack finally got his girl.

Holly: I honestly understood why Daisy didn’t tell Jack about his son for all those years. I don’t agree with or condone it, but I got why she didn’t at first, and how it just got harder the longer she waited. What I didn’t understand was why she waited so long to tell him once she came back to town. She had plenty of opportunity and I felt like she squandered it. I agree she was wrong to tell Jack to get over it. I mean, I get what she was trying to say, but she had no right considering how long she kept his son from him. Still, I was able to forgive her. Probably because Jack did.

Rowena: I think I could have gotten over Daisy’s actions if I didn’t feel like Jack was rushed into accepting and getting over the betrayal. He had just found out about Nathan, from Nathan and not Daisy so he’s reeling from the fact that he’s got a fifteen-year-old son that he never knew about, and his two best friends decided that they knew what was best for everyone…for him. So while he’s reeling from that fact, he’s trying to build a relationship with the son he just met, only to have to sit there and be nice to his Mom, who betrayed him and listen to this son call the other person that betrayed him, his father at every turn.

I didn’t feel like Jack was given enough time to really get over everything. Daisy and Nathan knew the truth for years but Jack just found out the truth and immediately had to decide if he was going to be mad or let it go.

Holly: I agree he wasn’t given a lot of time to process or come to terms with everything. Even though I got over it in the end, because I just wanted them all to be happy, a part of me is still really upset on his behalf. How is he supposed to just get over missing out on 15 years of his son’s life? Of listening to his son call another man “dad”? A man who willfully and purposely took that title away from him? I’m conflicted.

I don’t hate Daisy, which is strange. I feel like I SHOULD hate her, but I’ve never been able to.

Rowena: I don’t think I hate Daisy either. I really hate what Daisy did and I don’t even know if I forgive her. But hate her? I don’t think I hate her.

Holly: Steven is the one I wasn’t able to forgive, though. Daisy was young and scared, and easily convinced that Jack didn’t really love her, I think. But Steven knew exactly what he was doing when he took her away..and kept her away. And his letter made me so angry.

Rowena: I do hate Steven. I don’t even care that he was a good Dad to Nathan.

Holly: The difference, I think, is that Steven’s actions were willful. I believe Daisy thought she was doing the right thing for them all by not telling Jack. Steven, on the other hand, knew full well what he was about. He knew he was fucking Jack over.

Rowena: Steven saw a way for him to get what he wanted and he took it. Full stop. He didn’t stop to think of what he was taking from Jack and that is why his betrayal is so much worse. Or if he did stop to think of it…he still went through with it and that makes me hate him so much.

Holly: Exactly this. So much this. He betrayed his best friend because it suited his purposes, and that makes him a total douche. I don’t care how much he loved Nathan or how good a dad he was to him, because that should have been Jack’s job. Jack’s choice. And Steven took that away.

Rowena: Still, even with that drama, this wasn’t a book that I could easily put down. I was invested in these characters and what they were going through. I enjoyed how easy it was to slip into this story, to feel for these characters. Rachel Gibson is good at pulling at your emotions and this book was proof of that. In the end, I was able to be happy for Jack, and for Nathan, and even Daisy. So all in all, I enjoyed this book. I think I’m going to give this one 3.5 out of 5. You?

Holly: Reading this book reminded me why I used to love Gibson so much and why she’s on my keeper shelf. Despite being angry and frustrated with Daisy and Steven for most of the book, I was easily drawn into their story and really pulled for Jack to have his HEA in the end. I’m going to give it 4 out of 5, I think. Because even though Daisy made me angry, I can’t deny I was wrapped up in it from page one.

Final Grades

Holly: 4 out of 5
Rowena: 3.5 out of 5

Lovette, Texas

four-stars


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Throwback Thursday Review: Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson.

Posted October 25, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 8 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson.Reviewer: Rowena
Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson
Series: Lovett Texas #3
Also in this series: Daisy's Back In Town, Crazy On You (Lovett Texas, #2)
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: May 29, 2012
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She’s 33, unmarried, and stuffed into a Bubble Yum pink bridesmaid dress. And the whole town wants to fix her up with anyone with a dental plan...

Who’s going to rescue Sadie Hollowell now? Everyone in Lovett, Texas knows Sadie has always been a ‘notional’ kind of gal. She got a notion to leave town ASAP and never visit her daddy (bless his heart). Now, she’s back and got the notion to invite a good-looking, hard-muscled, total stranger to her cousin’s wedding. Better a stranger than some of the losers she’s dated.

Vince Haven got his muscles the hard way -- as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. He’s staying in Lovett to visit his crazy aunt -- the proprietor of the local Gas N Go. Before he can get the heck back out of the small town, his aunt makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Maybe he’ll stick around Lovett for a while. Maybe he’ll make a ‘go’ of the Gas N Go. Maybe he’ll rescue Sadie out of that pink dress!

Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy!

This review was originally posted on May 30, 2012.

This book features a hero that if you read Any Man of Mine will remember. Autumn’s brother, Vince is the star of this show. If you’ll remember back to AMoM, Vince was Autumn’s brother that was a Navy SEAL who came back to help her take care of her young son, Connor. In this book, Vince goes to the Lone Star state to see what his Aunt wants and to get away for a little bit. He’s not a fan of Autumn’s fiance Sam and he’s not looking forward to the wedding. He’s in Texas, a long way from Seattle and before he knows what’s what, he’s bought his Aunts Gas and Go mart and he’s in the process of fixing it up.

On his way into town, he runs into a bit of car trouble and finds himself stranded, until a cute blonde comes to save the day. Her name is Sadie and her being back in town is sure to cause some talk.

Seeing Vince in action and getting into his head in this book was a treat for me since I became a fan of his in his sister’s book, Any Man of Mine. I was looking forward to getting to know him and I loved him, just like I knew I would. He was such a man’s man and I ate his character up. Him and Becca’s relationship had me cracking up. What he thought, what Becca thought, what they really thought of each other and then Sadie’s reaction to it all? Was the exact same reaction I had.

It was also good to see him to come to terms with Autumn’s relationship with Sam. It was nice to see that played out in this book as well because I felt like it was brought up in AMoM and then just dropped. I loved the little pieces of Autumn, Sam and Connor in this book.

Rachel Gibson does a great job of writing a humorous contemporary romance with just enough steam to keep you turning the pages and not need to take a shower. I’m a total fan of the way she writes her stories, the way that she fleshes out her characters and still keep us laughing the whole way through. She created a new world for us in this book and I can’t wait for more. I’m mighty curious to see who’s next to get their story from this town in Texas. I love stories set in Texas because the people from around there are so colorful and just too funny.

I’m glad that I read this book, I enjoyed the romance between Vince and Sadie, I enjoyed getting to know the people from Sadie’s past and I’m glad that she was able to make friends in a place where she didn’t have very many friends. I even enjoyed getting to know Sadie’s Dad. It was all wrapped up nicely in an entertaining story and I will definitely be back for more.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5.

Lovett, Texas

four-half-stars


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Retro Review: True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson.

Posted July 26, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 21 Comments

Retro Review: True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson.Reviewer: Rowena
True Love and Other Disasters (Chinooks Hockey Team #4) by Rachel Gibson
Series: Chinooks Hockey Team #4
Also in this series: See Jane Score
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: April 28th 2009
Pages: 345
Add It: Goodreads
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Disaster Number One: MEN

Hard knocks and hunger taught Faith Duffy not to believe in love. Still, when she married her very wealthy—and very old—husband, she became the perfect wife. And then he went to that big bank in the sky, leaving Faith with lonely nights, a pile of money, and a total mess of a pro hockey team. Heck, Faith doesn't even watch hockey!

Disaster Number Two: PASSION

But most of America and half of Canada is watching Ty Savage. His lethal sex appeal and deadly right hook make him the favorite of fans. For most of Ty's life, he's dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup. The last thing he needs is a bimbo messing up his plans.

Disaster Number Three: LOVE

Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day ... and night. Then a moment of temptation ends with Faith in Ty's bed, and she begins to see there's more to him than sex appeal. Ty discovers there's far more to Faith than beauty and billions. But a relationship with Faith is impossible, and falling in love—that would be a disaster.

*****As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.

Holly: Oh man, did we all love Rachel Gibson back in the day. I have several of her more recent releases in my TBR pile, but for some reason I haven’t read them. I think I’m afraid the magic of these earlier works will be missing.

This review was originally published April 29, 2009

One of the main reasons I read Rachel Gibson is she writes engaging stories with characters that fall right off the pages and keeps me entertained from the first page all the way to the last page. I don’t have to plow my way through that first part of the book that can sometimes bore the ever living snot out of me. Her books take off right from the beginning and keeps me plugged in.

This book was no exception. I was on board with this story right from the first chapter. In the first chapter, we meet the hero and the heroine at the heroine’s husband’s funeral or wake. Right off the bat, this book reminded me of Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s It Had To Be You and I was eagerly waiting to see how Rachel Gibson would tell her version of that storyline.

For me, she knocked it out of the park.

There is no doubt that Rachel Gibson is a gifted writer. She writes these quirky little romances that makes you smile and entertains the socks right off of you and she did just that in this book. This story is about Faith Duffy inheriting her late husband’s hockey team, the Seattle Chinooks. You’ll remember The Chinooks from See Jane Score, as that was the team that Luc Martineau and his sexy “I want to lick his tatoo” self played for. In this book, Lucky is retired and there’s a new hunky captain on the prowl.

His name is Ty Savage.

Man, I could feast for days off of that man. I really like hockey men and I really love Rachel Gibson’s hockey men. I didn’t think I could love an RG hockey man as much as I loved Luc Martineau but I do now.

I love Ty, just wanted to tell you that..in case you missed it. =P It’s funny how I don’t watch hockey in real life but after reading this book, it’s made me curious enough to check a hockey game out.

Faith was a great heroine. She was one of those heroines that is easy to relate to even if you don’t have anything in common with her. Faith was such a likeable character that I found it very easy to sympathize with her. She was so likeable that I wasn’t mad one bit at her after two weeks passes after her husband death and she starts wanting to sleep with another man. I had very big issues with this in Robyn Carr’s book, Second Chance Pass but because Faith’s relationship with her husband was so different from Vanessa’s relationship with Matt, it didn’t bother me one bit when Faith started sleeping with Ty.

I thought they were perfect together and I loved watching these two fall in love with each other. I loved seeing Ty’s insecurities and I loved watching him bulldoze his way into Faith’s heart. It was a delight to read about and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to enjoy another RG hockey book, for me, this is definitely a keeper.

4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-half-stars


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Review: Just Kiss Me by Rachel Gibson

Posted July 28, 2016 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Review: Just Kiss Me by Rachel GibsonReviewer: Rowena
Just Kiss Me by Rachel Gibson
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: July 26th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Gibson returns with this dazzling love story filled with sizzle, sass, and just a bit of southern charm . . .
"Hello, Ms. Vivian . . . it's been a long time."

And with those words, Vivian Leigh Rochet nearly melted. It's been years since she last saw Harrison Whitley-Shuler. She was a teenager scrubbing houses for a living. He was the gorgeous son of rich parents, not fit for the likes of her.

Vivian had vowed to get out of Charleston, become a big Hollywood star, and stick it to the snooty girls who made her cry.

She got what she wanted—and more—but why does her glamorous life seem so trivial?

Harrison got out too . . . making it all the way to Wall Street, until a heart attack forced him to trade in his cufflinks for a good set of hand tools.

Making furniture soothes his soul, but escaping the Whitley-Shuler heritage is nearly impossible. And now he's come face-to-face with the one who got away. He's not looking for love. He's not even looking for sex . . . so why is resisting her the hardest thing he's ever done?

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Rachel Gibson and this book was a nice treat after being away for a while.

Vivian Leigh Rochet (pronounced Ro-shay) is back in her hometown of Charleston to bury her mother. She hasn’t been home for at least three years and being back in town to put her mother to rest has put her in total grief mode. She was close to her mother and with her gone, Vivian realizes that she’s got nobody left. She’s all alone in the world and that doesn’t sit well with her.

She grew up in the carriage house across the way from the big house that her mother was a housekeeper at. She grew up cleaning up after Henry (his name was Henry in my ARC) and Spencer Whitley-Shuler and their judgmental and very mean mother, Nonnie. She had dreams to become rich and famous and a big super star actress. She was going to be become famous and come back to town to shove her success in everyone who was ever mean to her’s face. #1 on that list? Henry Whitley-Shuler.

But when she comes back to town to pack up her mother’s belongings, it’s to find a very different Henry from the one she remembers. It’s Henry that becomes her closest confidant and it’s Henry that she turns to for most everything.

Henry has changed a lot in the years that Vivian has known him but Vivian has changed too. Henry remembers the brat she used to be when they were kids. He remembers catching her snooping in his room. He remembers the secret he threatened her to keep. He remembered plenty but he didn’t understand her as a kid. He understands her plenty now. The more time that they spend together, the closer they get and the deeper they both fall.

There are secrets in this book and I’m not a fan of those in my romances. I didn’t like Henry’s secret and I didn’t like Vivian’s secret. I rolled my eyes more than a few times but in the end, I liked the way that these two came together. Vivian’s secret keeping was worse because she kept her secret to spite Henry and I didn’t like that. The way that they worked their issues out made me satisfied with the story and I’m glad that I read it. It’s not my favorite Rachel Gibson but it was still enjoyable. It was one of those slow to build romances that worked for me and despite the secrets, I did end up liking the book anyway.

Grade: 3.75 out of 5

three-half-stars


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#DFRAT Review: Crazy on You by Rachel Gibson

Posted June 10, 2012 by Holly in Reviews | 3 Comments

#DFRAT Review: Crazy on You by Rachel GibsonReviewer: Holly
Crazy On You (Lovett Texas, #2) by Rachel Gibson
Series: Lovett Texas #2
Also in this series: Daisy's Back In Town, Rescue Me
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon Impulse
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 128
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
two-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Return to Lovett, Texas, the setting of Daisy's Back in Town, in this smart and sexy new story from Rachel Gibson, the New York Times bestselling author of Rescue Me and the Seattle Chinooks books.

Lily Darlington's been called crazy in her day-and, yeah, driving her car into her ex-husband's living room probably wasn't the smartest move ever made-but the louse deserved it. Now Lily is happily single, and she's turned it all around. She knows she's a good mom, a homeowner, and a businesswoman, all wrapped up in one good-looking package.

A package that police officer Tucker Matthews is dying to unwrap. This ex-military man sure doesn't need another woman in his life. His last girlfriend left him with nothing but memories and a cat named Pinky! But living next door to Lily has been driving him nuts. He dreams about her long blonde hair and even longer legs. And maybe it's time to go a little crazy . . . and fall in love.

This was just ok. The short page count didn’t allow much for character or relationship development. While Lily was fairly well fleshed out (maybe because she was introduced in Daisy’s Back in Town, a book I recently re-read), we didn’t learn enough about Tucker. That he went from “hmm, Lily might be crazy but she’s hot” to “I want everything with you” after one conversation didn’t make sense. I mean, literally one conversation. He goes over to talk to her about playing basketball with her son, thinks she’s hot, goes to work and hears a bunch of rumors about how crazy she is, then knocks on her door and says “I want everything with you”? Uh, no.

I did laugh a couple times and I thought it was sweet how both Tucker and Lily dealt with Pippen. If there hadn’t been a declaration of love 5 days in, I think I’d have enjoyed it more.

2.5 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here in e-format.

two-half-stars


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