Rowena’s review of Gwynneth Ever After by Linda Poitevin.

Gwyn Jacobs doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Ever since her ex-husband walked out, leaving her alone with three small children, Gwyn has been mother, father, and bread-winner all rolled into one. Her own scarred heart aside, she refuses to open up her children’s lives to the possibility of another heartbreak, and so she has an unbending policy of no dating and no unattached men in their lives.

Until her very own fairy tale falls into her lap…and the hero won’t take no for an answer.

Holly brought this book to my attention, thinking that it would be something I’d enjoy so I picked it up to read. The story follows Gwynneth Jacobs as she is pursued by actor Garreth Connor. Garreth meets Gwyn when they sit next to each other at a theater production and Gwyn makes a lasting impression on him. They’re not young kids who can have a fling and be done with it. Gwyn is a single mother of three kids and Garreth is going through his own stuff with his own kid. Finding the time and inclination isn’t there for Gwyn and she’s got commitment issues that stem from her husband leaving her and their kids behind. She doesn’t want to put her kids through that again so she keeps herself at arm’s length of any man who comes sniffing her way with a possible relationship they want to try out.

This book was a sweet read. Kind of cheesy throughout most of the book but still, sweet.

I liked that Gwynneth (with 2 n’s) was an older heroine and didn’t immediately fall into bed with Garreth. I liked that she kept her children’s welfare at the forefront of her mind throughout the entire book and heck, I even liked her kids. I thought Garreth was a great hero, even if he did have a ponytail that I don’t think I would have dug in real life. I thought he was a good match, not just for Gwyn but for her kids too. The relationships and bonds that he forges with the three kids had me sighing all over the place, even when the cheese was spread on pretty thick. Some cheese is good.

There were times when Gwyn frustrated me. The hot and cold way she was with Garreth made me roll my eyes more than once and her reasons for not wanting to be with Garreth, even when it was obvious that she had big time feelings for him made me want to smack some sense into her but when all was said and done, I thought this book was cute. So while it wasn’t perfect, the sweetness of the romance and the way that Garreth refused to give up on Gwyn made me glad that I read this book. It was a good one.

Grade: 3 out of 5

This book is available from Michem Publishing. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.