By Kristan Higgins
A very strong finish saved this book from being 3 stars which is a very low rating for a Kristan Higgins for me. I did not like Charlie, Tom’s “stepson”. There was just no excuse for his behavior. He was just stupid. Even at almost the end, he was sullen and ungrateful. I would have liked to see him redeem himself much more sufficiently. Maybe in the next book, we’ll hear tell of an epiphany. Did not buy him at all. Or Tom’s devotion to him, for that matter. Talk about a glutton for punishment. The English accent was slightly too much. This book has the usual Kristan tropes, for example using a substitute cutsie-pie word for a genuine curse word. That got old 7 books ago. But still, she is a very talented and funny writer who can bring the tears as well as the guffaws. She can add suspense to a relationship even when you know you won’t be betrayed by the end. The highest praise for a romantic comedy is that she keeps you turning the pages in delight. Those authors are few and far between. (SEP is another one.) I already have #3 on pre-order.
***revised 05/02/2017****This time, I was much more OK with Charlie’s reformation. He did turn it around at the end and realized that Tom was his real father, not his bio-Dad. I still think Tom was too much of a saint to put up with him, though. The end still saved this book for me. I was on the edge of my seat and greatly moved at the same time through the climactic scene. One more note, brought up by a few other reviewers, is Honor’s constant dialogue with her ovaries. It was very tiresome. Very. **4 stars out of 5**
**Re-read on Audible 01/16/2026**
“Whatever happens,” Dad said, almost reading her thoughts, “you’re the heart of this family, Honor.”
The words were a gift, and Honor’s eyes filled.
After this re-read on Audible, I bumped this one up to 5 stars and I was left wondering why it was anything less. It was not that the narrator did a particularly outstanding job although except for her interpretation of the British hero Tom’s voice, she was excellent. And it was not that she did the accent poorly, it’s that she really didn’t commit to an accent at all. And this was a problem because much is made of him being British. It made his slinging British terms around like “Mate”, “Lad”, and “Brilliant” sound faintly ridiculous.
The two leads in this one are very good people. Honor is described as the heart of the Holland family whose adventures in love and life are the subject of Kristan’s Blue Heron series. She is competent, wise, responsible, patient, gentle, a hard worker etc. etc. In love with one man her whole life but who views her only as his best friend, she enters into an arranged marriage with Tom after the news of her friend’s engagement to her best friend gobsmacks her. At 35, her biological clock is ticking and Tom needs a green card to stay in the United States to be near his unofficial step-son. He is also a great guy. A very great guy. But everyone in his life, including his difficult teenage “stepson” does not appreciate him, takes advantage of him, and are very rude and even mean to him. He bears it with patience. Even though I felt so sorry for how he was treated by Charlie, the son of his dead fiancé, his former fiancé’s parents, and Charlie’s deadbeat Dad, he did not frustrate me with his weakness. Because he was not weak really. Just a very loving father figure who would put up with almost anything to be near and support Charlie. After their initial suspicion due to their protectiveness of their beloved Honor, The Hollands welcome Tom and Charlie into their lives. This is the story of Honor and Tom’s arranged marriage and how they fall in love. As always with Kristan, it is told with heart and humor.
This time it was not Charlie that got my goat so much, (though he did) but Honor’s Grandparents, Goggy and Pops. They drove me up a wall and the consequences of their foolishness came home to roost with a vengeance in the final scenes of the novel. I love the little details Kristan Higgins introduces to paint a picture and add humor. For example, the demure Honor is addicted to gruesome medical documentaries which she watches with her brother Jack. “The Mysterious World of Pork-Borne Illnesses,” and “Top Ten Tumors” among them. And I do have to correct something from my previous reviews. It is not her ovaries that Honor has a continuing dialogue with but her sex-starved eggs. And this time I thought much of it was pretty funny.
May 2, 2017