Gina Wilkins
Author of A Very NASCAR Holiday (Anthology, 3-in-1)
About the Author
Image credit: ginawilkins.com
Series
Works by Gina Wilkins
My Valentine 1992 (Denim and Diamonds / The Valentine Raffle / A Very Special Delivery / Valentine Mischief) (1992) — Contributor — 22 copies
Heat of the Night (Caught in the Act / Yesterday's Scandal / Compromising Positions) (2002) — Contributor — 9 copies
Sara's bruiloft 1 copy
Navždy tvůj 1 copy
Förförande kyssar 1 copy
Associated Works
Written in the Stars (In the Stars / Shooting Stars / Star Crossed) (2001) — Contributor — 33 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Wilkins, Gina Ferris Vaughan
- Other names
- Wilkins, Gina
Ferris, Gina
Wilkins, Gina Ferris - Birthdate
- 1954-12-20
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- novelist
- Short biography
- Gina Ferris Vaughan was born on December 20, 1954 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, daughter of Beth, an executive secretary, and Vernon Vaughan, an electrician. She raised and still resides in central Arkansas. She prepared for her writing career with a degree in journalism from Arkansas State University. In February 1972, she married John Wilkins, a wood turner, and they had three children—two daughters and a son. With her husband, her most loyal supporter, she have raised their three extraordinary children, all pursuing careers in science and medicine.
She working in advertising and audio-visual production until fulfilling a lifelong dream with the sale of her first book, a romance novel to to Harlequin Temptation in 1986, and she has been a full-time writer ever since. Bestselling and award-winning author, she was a four-time winner of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence and a former nominee for a Lifetime Achievement Award by Romantic Times Magazine, she has written more than ninety books for Harlequin/Silhouette. Her books are translated into 20 languages.
A member of Romance Writers of America, Diamond State Romance Writers and Novelists, Inc., she is a past president of Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas. She is a frequent speaker at civic organizations and writers' clubs, but she particularly enjoys speaking to middle-school and high-school students about literacy and goal setting. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Places of residence
- Arkansas, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Arkansas, USA
Members
Reviews
Very good book about two very different people brought together by their desire to give her baby a family. Stevie, a free spirit who has always been attracted to artistic type men, finds herself pregnant by her latest boyfriend, and dumped because he's not interested in being a father. After confessing her fears of raising a child without a father, she is stunned when friend and neighbor Cole proposes marriage.
Cole is a numbers guy, happiest when behind a computer. He's also a widower who show more lost his wife five years earlier. He wants a family of his own, but the dating process isn't his thing. Becoming daddy to Stevie's baby is the perfect compromise.
I loved the two of them together. Stevie is so bubbly and outgoing, but also unsure about being able to give her baby the best life. She had grown up as the child of a single mother and always felt the lack of a father in her life. Cole is calm and steady, but also yearns for the chance to have the kind of family he dreams of. His childhood was marked by parents who didn't get along, and a father who didn't understand why Cole wasn't interested in the same things he was. Cole and Stevie had been friends for a year, with Cole burying the attraction he had felt for her because he knew he wasn't her type. From the very beginning they were able to talk to each other about anything.
I loved the growth of their relationship. The attraction between them gave them another connection that helped pull them closer together. Cole was really sweet with the way that he wanted to take care of her and was so understanding of her fears. He tried to take care of her without stepping on her need for independence. He knew that he was falling for her, but didn't think that she felt the same way. Stevie was a bit of a worrywart and was afraid that she had taken advantage of him. She worried that he was only being kind to her, and was still in love with his late wife, while she was falling in love with him. I loved seeing them settle in to life together and how fantastic it was. There were some terrific moments, such as the ultrasound when they learned the sex of the baby and it all became so real to Cole. I also loved seeing Stevie read Cole's father the riot act, as she tried to help fix the relationship between them. Both Cole and Stevie had some pretty deep insecurities to overcome, but a crisis with the pregnancy gave them the impetus to face those fears. I loved seeing them finally come fully together, and the epilogue wrapped it up nicely.
I also liked the scenes with Jen and Tess, her friends from A Reunion and a Ring and The Boss's Marriage Plans. I liked how her friends were worried about her and gave Cole a bit of a hard time, but eventually came to see how right they were together. show less
Cole is a numbers guy, happiest when behind a computer. He's also a widower who show more lost his wife five years earlier. He wants a family of his own, but the dating process isn't his thing. Becoming daddy to Stevie's baby is the perfect compromise.
I loved the two of them together. Stevie is so bubbly and outgoing, but also unsure about being able to give her baby the best life. She had grown up as the child of a single mother and always felt the lack of a father in her life. Cole is calm and steady, but also yearns for the chance to have the kind of family he dreams of. His childhood was marked by parents who didn't get along, and a father who didn't understand why Cole wasn't interested in the same things he was. Cole and Stevie had been friends for a year, with Cole burying the attraction he had felt for her because he knew he wasn't her type. From the very beginning they were able to talk to each other about anything.
I loved the growth of their relationship. The attraction between them gave them another connection that helped pull them closer together. Cole was really sweet with the way that he wanted to take care of her and was so understanding of her fears. He tried to take care of her without stepping on her need for independence. He knew that he was falling for her, but didn't think that she felt the same way. Stevie was a bit of a worrywart and was afraid that she had taken advantage of him. She worried that he was only being kind to her, and was still in love with his late wife, while she was falling in love with him. I loved seeing them settle in to life together and how fantastic it was. There were some terrific moments, such as the ultrasound when they learned the sex of the baby and it all became so real to Cole. I also loved seeing Stevie read Cole's father the riot act, as she tried to help fix the relationship between them. Both Cole and Stevie had some pretty deep insecurities to overcome, but a crisis with the pregnancy gave them the impetus to face those fears. I loved seeing them finally come fully together, and the epilogue wrapped it up nicely.
I also liked the scenes with Jen and Tess, her friends from A Reunion and a Ring and The Boss's Marriage Plans. I liked how her friends were worried about her and gave Cole a bit of a hard time, but eventually came to see how right they were together. show less
Nicole and Casey are both lawyers on leave from their careers, Casey because he’s disillusioned with the work he’s doing while Nicole needs to clear her name after being accused of violating clients’ privacy, so these two meet under casual circumstances with Nicole staying at a Smoky Mountain cabin that Casey’s (somewhat incompetently) helping to fix up. Even though they initially hold back their career stuff from one another, the author still managed to make it feel as though the show more pair were genuinely getting to know each other which I always appreciate in a shorter story where you’re expected to buy in to happily ever in a brief time period.
This didn’t delve as deeply into Casey’s issues with his law career as maybe it could have, just a couple conversations here and there, but Nicole’s anxieties over her situation were well conveyed, there’s a strong sense of how heavily it weighs on her, and I liked that while she ultimately does accept help in sorting it all out, she never comes across as helpless.
I enjoyed Casey and Nicole’s relationship, there was a maturity to how they handled most scenes that I liked, they don’t do a lot of stomping out of rooms and leaving things unsaid, they tended to talk, although I have to say, what I most fell in love with here was the dog Buddy and the pair’s evolving attachment to him, whether or not they ended up with the dog mattered more to me than whether they ended up with each other, that’s how invested I was in the furry guy. show less
This didn’t delve as deeply into Casey’s issues with his law career as maybe it could have, just a couple conversations here and there, but Nicole’s anxieties over her situation were well conveyed, there’s a strong sense of how heavily it weighs on her, and I liked that while she ultimately does accept help in sorting it all out, she never comes across as helpless.
I enjoyed Casey and Nicole’s relationship, there was a maturity to how they handled most scenes that I liked, they don’t do a lot of stomping out of rooms and leaving things unsaid, they tended to talk, although I have to say, what I most fell in love with here was the dog Buddy and the pair’s evolving attachment to him, whether or not they ended up with the dog mattered more to me than whether they ended up with each other, that’s how invested I was in the furry guy. show less
A decent read with some unfortunate old school elements, namely the hero being a total jerk and the heroine's ultimate motivation of being married over having a career. Not my cup of tea in the least, although until the hero proposed marriage, the heroine did stand up for herself and refuse to give up her entire life just to be his mistress. There was definitely some cathartic elements in her refusing the capitulate to his caveman demands that she quit her job as a police officer because it show more was too dangerous and he didn't like worrying for her safety. Yes, he had a sob story childhood that informed some elements of his personality, but she called him on his shit at a fairly gratifying rate, considering this was originally published in 1988.
This whole story was shaping up fairly nicely (considering its vintage) until the very end: when the hero finally proposed to her, the heroine quit her job on the spot. Seriously?? Sigh. That is a good thing about present-day contemporaries, at least: women realize and fight for the ability to have spouses and careers and kids, all at the same time, instead of feeling like they have to give up one dream if they have any chance of fulfilling another.
(Also? The characters have ten inches in height difference, and that really bothered me, as it added to the power dynamic between the two of them in an unhealthy way.) show less
This whole story was shaping up fairly nicely (considering its vintage) until the very end: when the hero finally proposed to her, the heroine quit her job on the spot. Seriously?? Sigh. That is a good thing about present-day contemporaries, at least: women realize and fight for the ability to have spouses and careers and kids, all at the same time, instead of feeling like they have to give up one dream if they have any chance of fulfilling another.
(Also? The characters have ten inches in height difference, and that really bothered me, as it added to the power dynamic between the two of them in an unhealthy way.) show less
Good friends to lovers/boss and employee story. Tess has worked for Scott for six years and has become indispensable to him. She loves her job and doesn't mind the long hours and frequent interruptions to her personal life. Her personal life isn't all that great anyway. She's got some good friends, but her romantic life just doesn't exist.
Scott is the head of his construction company and has worked hard to make it the company that it is. He's thirty seven years old and feels like it is time show more for a family of his own. He was engaged a few years earlier, but it hadn't worked out. His fiancee didn't like his hours, and constantly complained about his lack of romance. This time he's going to pursue it in a more practical manner. As soon as he lists out what he's looking for, he realizes that Tess is a perfect match.
Scott caught Tess at a bit of a low point. It's the holidays and she's alone again except for her older sister. Her sister is constantly trying to fix her up, and she's getting tired of it. She's tried online dating and has struck out there too. She just wants a family of her own. When Scott comes to her with his "marriage plan" she says yes.
I loved seeing these two together. They've known each other for six years, so there aren't a lot of secrets between them. As they begin attending events as a couple instead of as boss and employee, things start to change. I loved seeing Scott begin to see Tess as a beautiful woman. Tess had always seen Scott as a sexy man, but buried any feelings because of her job. Their "just a test" first kiss hit them each harder than they expected, and the physical attraction between them grew. Though their relationship is built on friendship, and emotions such as love have never been mentioned, Tess realizes that she wants more than Scott seems willing to give. It was fun to see Scott move away from the practical without realizing it until it was almost too late. There were a couple great scenes with Scott's brothers as he sees their love for their wives but believes he doesn't need that, then later seems to envy what they have. When Tess confronts him with what she needs from him, Scott has to make a decision. I loved seeing Scott's confusion and then realization that he had loved her all along, but hadn't recognized it. I liked the ending and that Tess made him work for his happy ending.
I liked the secondary characters a lot. Tess's friends were great sounding boards for her and there when she needed them. I really enjoyed seeing them help Tess pick out her holiday dresses. I also liked seeing more of Stevie, and am looking forward to her story. I suspect that her neighbor is going to be part of it. Tess's sister was an interesting character. She drove me as nuts as she did Tess, with her attitude and her digs, but I loved that she was there when Tess really needed her. Scott's family was great. I loved the way they made Tess a part of them so easily. I also liked how Scott's brothers gave him a hard time, but were an example of what marriage should be. show less
Scott is the head of his construction company and has worked hard to make it the company that it is. He's thirty seven years old and feels like it is time show more for a family of his own. He was engaged a few years earlier, but it hadn't worked out. His fiancee didn't like his hours, and constantly complained about his lack of romance. This time he's going to pursue it in a more practical manner. As soon as he lists out what he's looking for, he realizes that Tess is a perfect match.
Scott caught Tess at a bit of a low point. It's the holidays and she's alone again except for her older sister. Her sister is constantly trying to fix her up, and she's getting tired of it. She's tried online dating and has struck out there too. She just wants a family of her own. When Scott comes to her with his "marriage plan" she says yes.
I loved seeing these two together. They've known each other for six years, so there aren't a lot of secrets between them. As they begin attending events as a couple instead of as boss and employee, things start to change. I loved seeing Scott begin to see Tess as a beautiful woman. Tess had always seen Scott as a sexy man, but buried any feelings because of her job. Their "just a test" first kiss hit them each harder than they expected, and the physical attraction between them grew. Though their relationship is built on friendship, and emotions such as love have never been mentioned, Tess realizes that she wants more than Scott seems willing to give. It was fun to see Scott move away from the practical without realizing it until it was almost too late. There were a couple great scenes with Scott's brothers as he sees their love for their wives but believes he doesn't need that, then later seems to envy what they have. When Tess confronts him with what she needs from him, Scott has to make a decision. I loved seeing Scott's confusion and then realization that he had loved her all along, but hadn't recognized it. I liked the ending and that Tess made him work for his happy ending.
I liked the secondary characters a lot. Tess's friends were great sounding boards for her and there when she needed them. I really enjoyed seeing them help Tess pick out her holiday dresses. I also liked seeing more of Stevie, and am looking forward to her story. I suspect that her neighbor is going to be part of it. Tess's sister was an interesting character. She drove me as nuts as she did Tess, with her attitude and her digs, but I loved that she was there when Tess really needed her. Scott's family was great. I loved the way they made Tess a part of them so easily. I also liked how Scott's brothers gave him a hard time, but were an example of what marriage should be. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 144
- Also by
- 15
- Members
- 1,829
- Popularity
- #14,064
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 40
- ISBNs
- 374
- Languages
- 7