Emma Makie arrives in Colorado Springs with her two nieces, with no money and no job prospects but refuses all help from her neighbour Kevin Grantham. Couldn't take to Emma at all. Too much pride considering she had the care of her two nieces. I found that inexplicable.
Two stars just because I read it very quickly to the end. ( )

The set-up is promising, with misunderstandings abounding. Unfortunately the plot and context are flimsy enough to make it ultimately unsatisfying to this reader, especially lacking as it does a tied-up ending.

For those that care, this is a "sweet" romance, with no swearing and nothing but a few impassioned kisses on the part of the lovers. Anderson wrote these kisses pretty well.

Emma is an artist, recently graduated from a prestigious school, but having turned down her dream job in order to move someplace entirely strange and care for her 2 young nieces full-time, but for free. The context is complicated, but I was not persuaded that this was the only possible- or, indeed, at all sensible- way to approach the problem, so it reeked of Plot Device.

The 2 nieces, and their relationship with Emma, were far, far too good and adorable to ring true.

And then as soon as Emma moves in, 2 of her neighbors adopt her, plying her with food and- implausibly- infinite baby-sitting from a HS junior.

Kevin, her next-door neighbor, has initial very poor impressions of Emma, although he tries to be decent. She bristles.

One of the things that makes no sense is that Kevin has a very prosperous career and is from a well-off and political family... and so his house next to Emma's (small and inherited) does not jibe with how neighborhoods work.

There is also some Manic Pixie Dream Girl stuff going on- Emma IS an artist- and that is one of the stupider modern tropes.

The real problem, though, is the sweetness. Actual and reasonable sources of conflict are glossed over in favor of yet more silly misunderstandings.

Ad then, at the end- are they going to get married? If so, when? Emma's nieces' dad (her brother) is moving into the inherited house; with Emma? Who owns the house, anyway? The supposed resolution started more questions than it answered.

Nonetheless, it is sweet, and utterly unchallenging, and is a good choice if that's what you're looking for. ( )

Love, love, love it!! So worth the read!! And it's a good reminder that sometimes you don't pick who you love. Love just blossoms on its own. ( )

I love these books. I read the second one first (silly me) and I actually didn't figure out that the characters where who the characters were until halfway in. Duh! Brilliant writing. I can't wait to read the next one. ( )

I love these books. I read the second one first (silly me) and I actually didn't figure out that the characters where who the characters were until halfway in. Duh! Brilliant writing. I can't wait to read the next one. ( )